Comprehensive Guide to the Core Aspects of ArchiMate Next: Active Structure, Behavior, and Passive Structure

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Comprehensive Guide to the Core Aspects of ArchiMate Next: Active Structure, Behavior, and Passive Structure

“A model is not just a diagram—it is a language. And like any powerful language, it must be intuitive, consistent, and rooted in familiar patterns.”

This guide provides a comprehensive, practical, and conceptually grounded understanding of the three core aspects of ArchiMate Next: Active Structure, Behavior, and Passive Structure. These foundational pillars are not only preserved but elevated in ArchiMate Next as the central organizing principle of the entire modeling language—now anchored in the Hexagonion framework.

Whether you’re a business architect, enterprise IT strategist, or solution designer, this guide will help you master the logic, structure, and application of ArchiMate Next through real-world clarity and intuitive reasoning.

🔷 Why These Three Concepts Matter: The Natural Language Analogy

ArchiMate’s design philosophy is deeply inspired by natural language syntax:

Subjects (who) → Verbs (what they do) → Objects (what they act upon)

This analogy makes ArchiMate intuitive and accessible:

Natural Language ArchiMate Next Equivalent
Subject (e.g., “The manager”) Active Structure Element
Verb (e.g., “approves”) Behavior Element
Object (e.g., “the expense report”) Passive Structure Element

This Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) model is not just a metaphor—it’s the semantic backbone of ArchiMate Next.

✅ Key Insight: When you model anything in ArchiMate Next, ask:
“Who is doing what to what?”
This question instantly reveals the correct elements to use.

🌟 The Three Core Aspects: A Deep Dive

Let’s explore each of the three core aspects in detail—what they are, how they work, and how they’re reimagined in ArchiMate Next.

1. Active Structure: The “Subjects” – Who Acts?

📌 Definition:

Active Structure Elements represent entities capable of initiating or performing behavior. They are the agents or actors in your enterprise model.

They are the doers—the ones who carry out processes, provide services, or collaborate with others.

🔹 Types of Active Structure Elements

Type Description Examples
Internal Active Structure Real, tangible entities that perform behavior internally. Business roles, application components, nodes (servers), human actors, AI systems
External Active Structure (Interfaces) Points of access where services are exposed to the outside world. They hide internal complexity and expose functionality. Web APIs, service endpoints, public portals, external system interfaces

💡 Tip: Think of an interface as a “window” into a system—what you see is what’s offered; the inner workings are hidden.

🔹 Evolution in ArchiMate Next

  • “Business Role” → “Role” (Generic)
    No longer tied to business layer only. A Role can now be assigned to:

    • A person (e.g., “Customer Support Agent”)

    • A software component (e.g., “Payment Processing Module”)

    • A hardware device (e.g., “IoT Sensor Node”)

  • Interfaces are now first-class citizens
    They are not just “connections”—they are active structures that represent service exposure points.

✅ Best Practice: Use Interface when modeling external access points. Use Role to define responsibilities regardless of the underlying actor.

2. Behavior: The “Verbs” – What Is Being Done?

📌 Definition:

Behavior Elements represent dynamic aspects—the actions, activities, and events that occur within the enterprise.

They are the actions that active structures perform or trigger.

🔹 Types of Behavior Elements

Type Description Examples
Internal Behavior Units of activity performed by active structures. Process, Function
External Behavior (Services) Explicitly defined behaviors offered to external users. They deliver value. Service, API, Business Service, Application Service
Events Instantaneous state changes that trigger or result from behavior. Start Event, End Event, Message Event, Timer Event

🎯 Key Insight:

  • A Process is a sequence of behavior (like a workflow).

  • A Function is a logical grouping of behavior (like a capability).

  • A Service is behavior exposed externally—it’s about value delivery.

🔹 Unification in ArchiMate Next: The Power of Domain Agnosticism

One of the most significant improvements in ArchiMate Next is the unification of behavior across domains.

Old Approach (ArchiMate 3.x) New Approach (ArchiMate Next)
Separate Business Process, Application Function, Technology Service One unified Process, Function, Service, Event across all layers
Duplicated elements with similar semantics Single, domain-agnostic elements

✅ Example:
A Process can be:

  • Performed by a human (business process)

  • Executed by a software component (application process)

  • Run by an AI agent (automated function)

No need to duplicate logic. One Process model suffices.

🛠️ Practical Tip:
Use Service when the behavior is intended for external consumption (e.g., “Customer Onboarding Service”).
Use Process or Function when describing internal logic, regardless of the actor.

3. Passive Structure: The “Objects” – What Is Being Acted Upon?

📌 Definition:

Passive Structure Elements are entities that do not perform behavior but are acted upon or accessed by behavior.

They are the “nouns” in your model—the data, information, and physical assets that are created, modified, or consumed.

🔹 Types of Passive Structure Elements

Type Description Examples
Business Objects Information assets from a business perspective. Customer records, contracts, invoices, product catalogs
Data Objects Structured data used in automated processing. Database tables, XML files, JSON payloads
Artifacts & Materials Physical or executable entities in the technology and physical domains. Executables, libraries, documents, energy, raw materials

⚠️ Important: Passive structures cannot act—they are acted upon.
If something is doing something, it’s an Active Structure or Behavior.

🔹 Evolution in ArchiMate Next

  • No more layer-specific duplicates
    No more Business Data, Application Data, Technology Data. Just Data Object—unified across domains.

  • Contracts as Business Objects
    Previously, Contract was a standalone element. Now, it is a specialization of a Business Object, representing a formal agreement that is acted upon.

  • Artifacts as physical or executable data
    This includes .jar, .exe, .dll files—now clearly modeled as Artifacts, distinct from abstract data.

✅ Best Practice:
Ask: “Is this something being created, changed, or used?”
If yes → it’s a Passive Structure.
If no → it’s likely an Active Structure or Behavior.

🌀 The Hexagonion Framework: Where the Core Concepts Live

In ArchiMate Next, the traditional layered matrix (Business, Application, Technology) has been replaced by the Hexagonion Framework—a more holistic and dynamic structure.

🧩 The Center Hub: The Three Core Aspects

🔥 The Active Structure, Behavior, and Passive Structure are now placed at the very center of the Hexagonion.

This is not symbolic—it’s architectural.

  • All other domains radiate from this core.

  • Strategy, Motivation, Implementation, and Migration are extensions of the core SVO model.

               [Strategy]
                   |
         [Motivation] — [Implementation] — [Migration]
                   |
           [Core: Active | Behavior | Passive]

✅ Why This Matters:
You’re not modeling layers—you’re modeling enterprise reality.
The core three elements are universal and transcend domain boundaries.

🔄 How the Core Concepts Are Unified and Generalized

ArchiMate Next removes redundancy and complexity by generalizing key concepts into a Common Domain.

Concept Old (ArchiMate 3.x) New (ArchiMate Next) Benefit
Process Business, Application, Technology versions One unified Process No duplication, consistent semantics
Role Business Role only Generic Role Can be assigned to people, software, hardware
Collaboration Layer-specific Single Collaboration element Cross-layer teamwork modeled uniformly
Contract Standalone element Specialization of Business Object Semantic consistency
Interaction Separate element Replaced by Collaboration or Service Simpler, more meaningful

📌 Key Principle:
If it’s not a core element, it’s a specialization or a relationship.

This reduces cognitive load and prevents model sprawl.

🧠 Semantic Continuity: The SVO Analogy in Action

Let’s bring the natural language analogy to life with a real-world example.

🏢 Example: Customer Onboarding Process

Question: Who does what to what?

Part of Speech ArchiMate Element Example
Subject (Who?) Business Role (now Role) “Customer Onboarding Specialist”
Verb (What?) Process “Onboard New Customer”
Object (To What?) Business Object “Customer Account”

Now, let’s expand it:

  • The Process is realized by a human (Role) and supported by an Application Component (e.g., CRM system).

  • The Process uses a Data Object (e.g., Customer Profile).

  • The Process triggers an Event (“Customer Account Created”).

  • The Process exposes a Service (“Customer Onboarding Service”) to external partners.

✅ Modeling Tip:
Use Collaboration to show that the Onboarding Specialist and the CRM System work together to complete the Process.

🧩 Metamodel Refinement: Simplicity Through Structure

ArchiMate Next simplifies the metamodel by:

  • Removing redundant elements:

    • Interaction → replaced by Collaboration or Service

    • Constraint → modeled as a property or relationship

    • Contract → specialized Business Object

  • Introducing clear hierarchies:

    • All Behavior elements inherit from Behavior

    • All Active Structures inherit from Active Structure

    • All Passive Structures inherit from Passive Structure

This creates a clean, consistent, and extensible foundation.

✅ Design Rule:
If you’re unsure whether to use a new element, ask:
“Does this fit into the Active-Structure, Behavior, or Passive-Structure category?”
If yes → use the core element.
If no → it’s likely a specialization, relationship, or property.

✅ Summary: The ArchiMate Next Core Framework

Aspect Key Features Best Practices
Active Structure Subjects that act; roles, actors, interfaces Use Role for responsibilities; Interface for external access
Behavior Verbs: processes, functions, services, events Use Service for external value; Process for internal workflows
Passive Structure Objects acted upon: data, business objects, artifacts Use Business Object for contracts; Data Object for structured data

🌐 Golden Rule of ArchiMate Next:
Everything is either an Active Structure, a Behavior, or a Passive Structure.
If it doesn’t fit, it’s not a primary element—it’s a relationship, property, or specialization.

📚 Final Thoughts: Why This Matters for Enterprise Architects

ArchiMate Next is not just a version update—it’s a paradigm shift toward simplicity, consistency, and realism.

By anchoring the language in the three core aspects and placing them at the center of the Hexagonion, ArchiMate Next:

  • ✅ Reduces complexity and model sprawl

  • ✅ Improves readability and collaboration across teams

  • ✅ Enables true end-to-end modeling across strategy, execution, and transformation

  • ✅ Supports digital transformation with unified modeling of humans, software, and AI

📌 Quick Reference: Core Elements in ArchiMate Next

Category Element Purpose
Active Structure Role, Interface, Application Component, Node Who or what performs behavior
Behavior Process, Function, Service, Event What is being done
Passive Structure Business Object, Data Object, Artifact, Material What is being acted upon

📝 Remember:

  • Active Structure = Who

  • Behavior = What

  • Passive Structure = To What

📌 Bonus: Quick Modeling Checklist

When building an ArchiMate model in ArchiMate Next, ask:

  1. Who is performing the action? → Active Structure

  2. What is being done? → Behavior

  3. What is being acted upon? → Passive Structure

  4. Is this external value? → Use Service

  5. Is this internal logic? → Use Process or Function

  6. Is this a physical or executable asset? → Use Artifact

  7. Is this a formal agreement? → Use Business Object with Contract specialization

🏁 Conclusion

The three core aspects of ArchiMate Next—Active Structure, Behavior, and Passive Structure—are not just structural components. They are the DNA of the language.

They provide semantic continuity, natural language intuition, and architectural coherence across all domains.

By mastering these three pillars and embracing the Hexagonion framework, enterprise architects can build models that are:

  • Clearer

  • More consistent

  • Easier to communicate

  • Truly aligned with business reality

🎯 Final Message:
Model with purpose. Think in Subject/Verb/Object. Build with clarity.

✨ The future of enterprise architecture is unified, intuitive, and human-centered—and it begins with the core.

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