5 exercises on enterprise architecture vocabulary.
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What is enterprise architecture (EA)?
Enterprise architecture operates above any single system, aligning IT and business strategy across the whole organization. It maps how business capabilities, processes, data, applications, and technology fit together, and provides a target state plus a roadmap to get there. The goal is coherence and reduced duplication at scale — ensuring individual project decisions serve the broader strategy. EA is concerned with standards, reference architectures, and governance, deliberately taking a wider and longer view than solution or software architecture.
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In TOGAF, what is the ADM (Architecture Development Method)?
The ADM is the heart of TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework) — a cyclical method for producing enterprise architecture. Its phases move from an Architecture Vision, through Business Architecture, Information Systems Architecture (data and application), and Technology Architecture, into Opportunities & Solutions, Migration Planning, Implementation Governance, and Architecture Change Management — with Requirements Management at the center. It is deliberately iterative: organizations adapt and repeat phases rather than executing once. The ADM gives EA teams a repeatable, governed process rather than ad hoc design.
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What is a capability map in enterprise architecture?
A capability map (or business capability model) decomposes an organization into the stable building blocks of what it does — "Customer Management," "Order Fulfillment," "Risk Assessment" — deliberately abstracting away how (processes) and who (org structure), which change frequently. Because capabilities are stable, they make an excellent anchor for analysis: you can heat-map which capabilities are strategically important vs. well-supported, spot duplicated systems serving the same capability, and align technology investment to business priorities rather than to org-chart politics.
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What is an Architecture Decision Record (ADR)?
An ADR is a lightweight, immutable record of one important architectural decision. A typical ADR states the context (the forces and constraints), the decision (what was chosen), the status (proposed/accepted/superseded), and the consequences (trade-offs and follow-on effects). Stored alongside code in version control, ADRs create a durable, searchable history that answers the question future teams always ask: "why was it built this way?" When a decision is later reversed, a new ADR supersedes the old one rather than editing history.
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What does a Wardley map help an architect reason about?
A Wardley map (Simon Wardley) plots the components needed to serve a user need along two axes: the value chain (visibility to the user, vertical) and evolution (genesis → custom-built → product → commodity, horizontal). Positioning components by evolutionary maturity reveals strategy: build the novel, differentiating components yourself; buy or use commodity utilities (like cloud compute) rather than reinventing them. It makes situational awareness explicit, helping architects avoid custom-building what is already a commodity, and focus scarce engineering effort where it differentiates.
What does the "Enterprise Architecture" vocabulary exercise cover?
This exercise tests real IT vocabulary related to enterprise architecture through 5 multiple-choice questions, each built from realistic workplace sentences rather than abstract definitions.
Is this vocabulary exercise free to use?
Yes. Every exercise on CoderSlingo, including this one, is completely free — no account, sign-up, or payment required.
How many questions does this exercise have?
This exercise has 5 questions. Each one shows a real-world sentence or scenario with multiple-choice options and an explanation once you answer.
What happens after I answer a question?
You'll see immediate feedback showing whether your answer was correct, along with a short explanation of why — then a button to move to the next question, and a full results screen at the end.
Can I retry the exercise if I get questions wrong?
Yes. Once you reach the results screen, click "Try again" to reset your answers and go through the exercise from the start as many times as you like.
Do I need to create an account to take this exercise?
No account is needed. Your answers are scored in your browser during the session — nothing is saved to a server, so you can jump straight in.
Is my progress saved if I leave the page?
No — progress within an exercise resets if you navigate away or reload. Each exercise is short enough to complete in a few minutes in one sitting.
Are these vocabulary exercises connected to other topics?
Yes — browse the full vocabulary exercises hub to find related modules covering adjacent IT topics and roles.
How is this different from reading a glossary or blog article?
Exercises like this one are active recall drills — you have to choose the correct term or phrasing yourself, which builds retention faster than passively reading a definition.
Where can I find more vocabulary exercises?
Browse the full Vocabulary exercises hub for hundreds of modules covering Agile, DevOps, security, databases, architecture, and more — organised by IT role and skill.