<s>
Enterprise	B-Architecture
architecture	I-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
,	O
or	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
,	O
are	O
separate	O
documents	O
constituting	O
enterprise	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
provide	O
descriptions	O
of	O
an	O
organization	O
from	O
different	O
perspectives	O
important	O
for	O
the	O
various	O
actors	O
involved	O
in	O
strategic	O
decision-making	O
and	O
implementation	O
of	O
IT	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Essentially	O
,	O
an	O
EA	O
practice	O
revolves	O
around	O
using	O
specific	O
sets	O
of	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
for	O
improving	O
communication	O
between	O
different	O
actors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
main	O
instruments	O
of	O
an	O
EA	O
practice	O
enabling	O
effective	O
decision-making	O
and	O
IT	O
planning	O
in	O
organizations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
systematic	O
use	O
of	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
for	O
collective	O
decision-making	O
distinguishes	O
a	O
disciplined	O
approach	O
to	O
information	O
systems	O
planning	O
from	O
an	O
ad	O
hoc	O
and	O
ill-organized	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Different	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
used	O
by	O
different	O
actors	O
at	O
different	O
moments	O
for	O
different	O
purposes	O
and	O
fulfill	O
different	O
roles	O
in	O
organizations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
be	O
very	O
diverse	O
in	O
their	O
basic	O
properties	O
and	O
attributes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
perspective	O
of	O
their	O
properties	O
all	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
differ	O
in	O
their	O
informational	O
contents	O
,	O
general	O
meanings	O
and	O
lifecycles	O
in	O
the	O
context	O
of	O
an	O
EA	O
practice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
perspective	O
of	O
their	O
informational	O
contents	O
,	O
various	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
use	O
different	O
representation	O
formats	O
,	O
provide	O
different	O
levels	O
of	O
detail	O
,	O
cover	O
different	O
scopes	O
,	O
describe	O
different	O
EA	O
domains	O
and	O
focus	O
on	O
different	O
points	O
in	O
time	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
have	O
different	O
representation	O
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Specifically	O
,	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
be	O
represented	O
in	O
textual	O
,	O
graphical	O
and	O
sometimes	O
tabular	O
formats	O
,	O
or	O
as	O
a	O
mix	O
of	O
these	O
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Purely	O
textual	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
contain	O
only	O
plain	O
text	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Purely	O
graphical	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
contain	O
only	O
diagrams	O
and	O
models	O
sometimes	O
created	O
using	O
special	O
modeling	O
languages	O
or	O
notations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Purely	O
tabular	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
contain	O
only	O
tables	O
with	O
rows	O
and	O
columns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
provide	O
different	O
levels	O
of	O
detail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descriptions	O
contained	O
in	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
range	O
in	O
their	O
granularity	O
from	O
very	O
high-level	O
abstractions	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
cover	O
different	O
organizational	O
scopes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
perspective	O
of	O
their	O
scopes	O
,	O
coverage	O
of	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
ranges	O
from	O
entire	O
organizations	O
,	O
lines	O
of	O
business	O
and	O
business	O
functions	O
to	O
narrow	O
organizational	O
areas	O
,	O
specific	O
change	O
initiatives	O
and	O
even	O
single	O
IT	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
describe	O
different	O
EA	O
domains	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
focus	O
on	O
different	O
temporal	O
states	O
of	O
an	O
organization	O
,	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
states	O
typically	O
described	O
in	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
be	O
roughly	O
separated	O
into	O
the	O
current	O
state	O
(	O
now	O
)	O
,	O
short-term	O
future	O
state	O
(	O
<	O
1	O
year	O
)	O
,	O
mid-term	O
future	O
state	O
(	O
2-3	O
years	O
)	O
and	O
long-term	O
future	O
state	O
(	O
3-5	O
years	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
some	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
describe	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
all	O
these	O
states	O
in	O
different	O
proportions	O
or	O
can	O
even	O
be	O
essentially	O
stateless	O
,	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
perspective	O
of	O
their	O
lifecycles	O
in	O
an	O
EA	O
practice	O
all	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
be	O
separated	O
into	O
permanent	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
and	O
temporary	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
:	O
</s>
<s>
Permanent	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
long-lived	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
often	O
existing	O
for	O
many	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Permanent	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
created	O
once	O
and	O
then	O
updated	O
when	O
necessary	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
ongoing	O
changes	O
in	O
an	O
organization	O
and	O
its	O
business	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
being	O
developed	O
these	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
constantly	O
used	O
,	O
continuously	O
maintained	O
and	O
occasionally	O
discarded	O
when	O
become	O
irrelevant	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Temporary	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
short-lived	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
often	O
existing	O
for	O
several	O
months	O
or	O
even	O
weeks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Temporary	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
created	O
at	O
specific	O
moments	O
for	O
particular	O
purposes	O
,	O
used	O
as	O
intended	O
and	O
then	O
immediately	O
discarded	O
or	O
archived	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
their	O
short	O
lifespan	O
,	O
the	O
very	O
need	O
to	O
update	O
or	O
maintain	O
temporary	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
is	O
usually	O
absent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
covering	O
narrow	O
scopes	O
,	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
perspective	O
of	O
their	O
general	O
meaning	O
in	O
an	O
EA	O
practice	O
all	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
be	O
separated	O
into	O
decisions	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
and	O
facts	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
:	O
</s>
<s>
Decisions	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
represent	O
made	O
planning	O
decisions	O
,	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
Decisions	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
always	O
have	O
certain	O
implications	O
for	O
the	O
future	O
and	O
usually	O
imply	O
specific	O
changes	O
in	O
an	O
organization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
all	O
planning	O
decisions	O
regarding	O
the	O
future	O
require	O
the	O
discussion	O
and	O
consensus	O
between	O
their	O
stakeholders	O
,	O
these	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
always	O
developed	O
or	O
updated	O
collaboratively	O
by	O
all	O
relevant	O
stakeholders	O
and	O
represented	O
in	O
formats	O
convenient	O
for	O
these	O
stakeholders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Decisions	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
inherently	O
subjective	O
,	O
speculative	O
and	O
people-specific	O
in	O
nature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Essentially	O
,	O
decisions	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
play	O
the	O
primary	O
role	O
in	O
an	O
EA	O
practice	O
by	O
providing	O
the	O
instruments	O
for	O
effective	O
communication	O
,	O
balanced	O
decision-making	O
and	O
collaborative	O
IT	O
planning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
decisions	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
created	O
and	O
approved	O
,	O
all	O
their	O
stakeholders	O
should	O
be	O
ready	O
to	O
act	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
corresponding	O
planning	O
decisions	O
reflected	O
in	O
these	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facts	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
represent	O
documented	O
objective	O
facts	O
,	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
decisions	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
,	O
facts	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
do	O
not	O
imply	O
any	O
planning	O
decisions	O
and	O
have	O
no	O
implications	O
for	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
objective	O
facts	O
are	O
normally	O
not	O
discussable	O
and	O
do	O
not	O
require	O
any	O
real	O
decision-making	O
,	O
these	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
may	O
be	O
developed	O
or	O
updated	O
solely	O
by	O
specific	O
actors	O
,	O
but	O
represented	O
in	O
formats	O
convenient	O
for	O
their	O
future	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facts	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
based	O
only	O
on	O
acknowledged	O
“	O
hard	O
”	O
data	O
and	O
largely	O
independent	O
of	O
specific	O
people	O
involved	O
in	O
their	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Essentially	O
,	O
facts	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
play	O
the	O
supporting	O
role	O
in	O
an	O
EA	O
practice	O
by	O
providing	O
the	O
information	O
base	O
required	O
for	O
developing	O
decisions	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
facts	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
created	O
,	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
any	O
actors	O
as	O
reference	O
materials	O
for	O
planning	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
important	O
properties	O
of	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
is	O
the	O
duality	O
of	O
their	O
informational	O
contents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Duality	O
of	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
implies	O
that	O
the	O
information	O
provided	O
by	O
these	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
is	O
relevant	O
to	O
two	O
different	O
audiences	O
simultaneously	O
,	O
satisfies	O
the	O
information	O
needs	O
of	O
both	O
these	O
audiences	O
and	O
presented	O
in	O
a	O
convenient	O
format	O
appealing	O
to	O
both	O
audiences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
duality	O
allows	O
using	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
as	O
a	O
means	O
of	O
communication	O
and	O
partnership	O
between	O
different	O
groups	O
of	O
actors	O
involved	O
in	O
strategic	O
decision-making	O
and	O
implementation	O
of	O
IT	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Duality	O
of	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
be	O
considered	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
fundamental	O
mechanisms	O
underpinning	O
an	O
EA	O
practice	O
and	O
enabling	O
effective	O
collaboration	O
between	O
diverse	O
stakeholders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Duality	O
of	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
can	O
be	O
explicit	O
or	O
implicit	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Explicit	O
duality	O
is	O
when	O
different	O
parts	O
of	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
relevant	O
to	O
different	O
groups	O
of	O
actors	O
,	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Implicit	O
duality	O
is	O
when	O
same	O
parts	O
of	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
interpreted	O
differently	O
by	O
different	O
actors	O
,	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
other	O
words	O
,	O
duality	O
of	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
implies	O
either	O
providing	O
different	O
information	O
to	O
different	O
actors	O
,	O
or	O
providing	O
same	O
information	O
having	O
different	O
meanings	O
for	O
different	O
actors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Explicit	O
and	O
implicit	O
dualities	O
in	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
often	O
combined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
not	O
all	O
useful	O
EA	B-Architecture
artifacts	I-Architecture
are	O
dual	O
in	O
nature	O
.	O
</s>
