Overview

IT Architecture Standards need to be kept up to date in order to remain a trusted resource for the organization. This document guides standard authors in provides guidance to Standard Keepers and Primary Service Teams on maintaining standards over time.

Roles and Responsibilities

Standard Keeper: Each standard is assigned a standard keeper who is responsible to maintain and refresh the standard as needed.

Standard Team: Each standard is assigned a standard team that is responsible to assign a Standard Keeper and to support the Standard Keeper in maintaining and refreshing the standard. Standard teams will be defined through the organizational hierarchy or the service organization depending on the scope of the standard.

The author of the standard, in concert with the service team primarily responsible for the standard, may make minor changes to the standard at any time. A minor change constitutes a change that will not impact the usability and understandingEnterprise Architecture (EA): The EA Team is responsible to assign a standard team to each standard, to govern minor modifications to standards, and to maintain the IT Architecture Standards Repository.

Technology Architecture Committee (TAC): Governs the adoption of and major modifications to IT Architecture Standards.

Types of Modifications

Minor Modifications: Alterations made to the standard that are inconsequential to the architecture and architectural processes documented in the standard. For example: language clarification, service request modifications, and changes in recommended tool sets, etc. are minor modifications.

Major Modifications: Alterations made to the standard that are consequential to the architecture documented through the standard. For example: modifications in principles, scope, technical components, data flow, security, etc. are major modifications.

Review of Standards Modifications

Changes to IT Architecture Standards will be reviewed on a quarterly basis–September, December, March, and June. This process will be coordinated by the EA Team upon request of the standard keeper or standard team. Requests for review should be accompanied by a copy of the existing document with markup showing the recommended modifications.

Minor modification will be reviewed by the EA Team. Major modifications will be reviewed by TAC. Revised and approved standards will be posted to the IT Architecture Standards Repository by the EA Team.

Mandatory Annual Review

Annually, all standards that have not been reviewed in the prior twelve months will be reviewed by the standard keeper and service team. In July, the EA Team will send a notification to standard keepers and primary service teams requesting that they review their standards and certify that they are up to date. Standards that need modifications should be revised and submitted for review following the Review of Standards Modifications above.