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The Architecture Family - Demystified

What do all these "architecture" types actually mean, and how do they relate to each other?

Why So Many Types?

The word "architecture" gets thrown around a lot in tech — solution architecture, system architecture, enterprise architecture, software architecture. It can feel like everyone is saying the same thing with different words.

They're not. Each type operates at a different zoom level on the same map. Understanding the zoom level is the key to demystifying all of them.

The Types

Enterprise Architecture (EA) — The city planner

• Scope: The entire organization's technology landscape
• Question it answers: "How do all of our systems, teams, and technology investments fit together to serve business strategy?"
• Concerned with long-term technology roadmaps, standards across the company, which platforms and vendors the organization bets on, and how IT spend aligns with business goals
• Thinks in years, not sprints
• Deals heavily with governance, compliance, and organizational structure
• Frameworks like TOGAF and Zachman come from this world
• Example concern: "We have 14 different CRM tools across departments — how do we consolidate?"