Mission
The purpose of the Architecture Working Group (ArchWG) is to expand the practice of architecture and advance the body of knowledge.
This working group facilitates evolution of the practice, focusing on Enterprise, System, Software, and Hardware architectures. It supports collaboration across INCOSE working groups, other engineering disciplines and organizations, and international bodies with a common interest in architecture.
Architecture activities define a solution based on principles, concepts, and properties logically related to and consistent with each other. The solution has features, properties, and characteristics which satisfy, as far as possible, the problem or opportunity expressed by a set of requirements (traceable to mission, business and stakeholder requirements) and life cycle concepts (e.g., operational, support).
Scope
The ArchWG addresses the domains of Enterprise, System, Software, and Hardware architecture.
Goals
The members of the ArchWG are practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders concerned by Enterprise, System, Software, and Hardware Architectures. The ArchWG seeks to accomplish standing goals. Additional goals may be defined each year at the INCOSE International Workshop. Our standing goals are as follows:
- Advance and evolve the architecture body of knowledge.
- Promote the use and practice of architecture principles.
- Share best practices for the use of architecture in enterprise, business, program, and/or project context.
- Develop and/or mature the practice of architecture within ArchWG members’ home organizations.
- Expand support of architecture-related standards and specifications.
- Identify trends of architecture practices, architecting styles, and architecture kinds and patterns.
- Identify and frame tools, processes, and methods related to architecture and architecting.
These goals are conducted in association with other bodies where appropriate. For example, over several years, ISO JTC1/SC7/WG42, (the Architecture Working Group of the Joint ISO-IEC Technical Committee) has been a “customer” for ArchWG input. Collaborations with the ISO TC 184/SC5 (Interoperability, integration, and architectures for enterprise systems and automation applications), the IEEE, and the Object Management Group (OMG) are also established.


