The most re-used model components in Sparx Enterprise Architect.

I’m occasionally asked “What’s the most re-usable bit of a model – where should I start?”.

It’s a fair question, and answer #1 is always the Glossary.

But answer #2 is a variation: it’s the overview of a project.

Sounds like an obscure piece of information: after all, surely the goals for that project, or it’s stakeholders are more interesting. But everyone who looks at the goals or the stakeholders would also benefit from a ‘project summary in one paragraph’. Or in 3 paragraphs. Or in one pretty diagram (not a model diagram – a diagram from the PowerPoint introduction presentation).

It turns out that these simple introductions get read, and re-used, time after time.

I tend to have a range of ‘context’ information:

1. Project/Program in one paragraph (no diagrams)
2. …in 3 paragraphs
3. …in one diagram

..and I might use (1) and (3) together, or (2) and (3).

And for sure EVERY document you create about the project will have this ‘5 minute introduction’ right at the front, which is why I think it’s so useful.

Not rocket science, but then much of knowledge curation is applied common sense.