The Architecture Repository Graveyard: Where Old Models Go to Die

Greetings, architects! Welcome back to another thrilling issue of Enterprise Architecture: The Struggle is Real.
 
This week, we’re tiptoeing into the dusty vault of forgotten PowerPoints, outdated roadmaps, and UML diagrams last opened when Windows XP was still in vogue. Yes, dear reader, we are entering… The Architecture Repository Graveyard.

The Main Story: Zombie Artifacts Everywhere

Every EA team has one: the dreaded repository. A place where models are uploaded “for reference,” only to vanish into obscurity faster than your last vacation request. Stakeholders still cite these diagrams, blissfully unaware they depict an application landscape that predates cloud computing.

The scariest part?

• You don’t dare delete them, lest some VP suddenly demand a ten-year-old capability model.

• The search function works about as well as asking your dog to fetch your Wi-Fi password.

• Half the artifacts are duplicates, the other half are drafts. Nobody knows which is which.

It’s less of a knowledge repository and more of a digital archaeological dig.

TOGAF to the Rescue (Sort of)

TOGAF actually anticipated this horror. It politely suggests maintaining an Architecture Repository that’s structured, governed, and regularly curated. In theory, artifacts are categorized (Architecture Landscape, Standards, Reference Models, Governance Logs, etc.), and version control prevents zombie documents from rising.

In practice? That taxonomy gets about as much attention as your company’s corporate wellness program.

But here’s the trick:

• Define clear lifecycle rules (create, archive, retire).

• Assign a repository curator (the unsung hero).

• Automate tagging and versioning where possible.

Yes, you may still need to perform the occasional exorcism of decade-old Visio files, but at least you’ll know which skeletons belong in which closet.

Educational Twist: Practical Tips

• Curate Quarterly: Don’t wait until the repository resembles a digital landfill.

• Tag by Business Capability: Makes it easier for non-architects to find what they actually need.

• Archive Aggressively: If it’s older than your intern, it probably belongs in cold storage.

Humor in Diagrams

Share and Connect

What’s the oldest artifact lurking in your repository? (Bonus points if it involves Lotus Notes.) Share your best “graveyard find” with us!

Next Week’s Tease

Episode 39: The Great Vendor Tango — where procurement meets architecture, and nobody leaves the dance floor unscathed.