ISO 42024 Revision Checker
ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024 · Enterprise, systems and software, Architecture fundamentals Stage 40.99 Planning date 15 Sep 2027, an estimate 35 terms · 20 clause areas · 9 annex sections

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Architecture concepts · 4.9

Reference architectures and reference models

The subclause addresses reference architectures and reference models. It builds on reference architecture (3.2.7) and reference model (3.5.7). A reference architecture is an architecture that offers a standard or common approach in a field; a reference model models a recurring problem.

  • concept, not an obligation
  • Clause area
  • ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024
  • Last updated: 2026-10-21

What this unit settles

The pair gives a firm a disciplined way to reuse. A reference architecture carries decisions; a reference model carries a common approach to a recurring problem. Reuse without knowing which one is being adopted is how a firm ends up with the label but not the decisions.

What to do in your practice

Keep a reuse register: the reference, its type, the source, the version, the decisions it carries, the local departures and the owner. Trace each local architecture to the reference it reuses. Review the register when the source publishes a new version. When a source publishes a new version, review the register before any project does. The review asks which local architectures relied on the changed decisions and which departures are now obsolete. Without that step, a firm can be on two versions of the same reference and call both current.

Who it binds

The organisation and the architecture practice. This unit is not a shall requirement; the claim level states what it is.

Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for

  • The reuse register with type and decisions.
    An auditor asks what was reused and what was changed.
  • The local departure record with approval.
    Shows the firm understood the decisions it changed.
  • The trace from local architecture to reference.
    Proves the reuse claim.
  • The version review note.
    Shows the firm tracks the source.
Ask your teamWhich reference architecture does this firm claim to follow but has departed from without recording it?

Common gaps this page catches

  • Reuse is claimed in slides and not traceable in the architecture.
  • Reference models and reference architectures are used interchangeably.
  • No one reviews the source version.

What to prepare before publication

Build the reuse register for the top five references. For each, record the type, source, version, decisions and departures. The untraceable claims are the first to fix.

Common questions

What does Reference architectures and reference models mean in ISO 42024?
The subclause addresses reference architectures and reference models. It builds on reference architecture (3.2.7) and reference model (3.5.7). A reference architecture is an architecture that offers a standard or common approach in a field; a reference model models a recurring problem.
What evidence should we keep for 4.9?
The reuse register with type and decisions. The local departure record with approval. The trace from local architecture to reference.

Related units

Source. ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024, Clause 4.9. Open the official record. Retrieved 21 October 2026.

https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso-iec-ieee:42024:dis:ed-1:v1:en

ISO catalogue record 87510, the status, stage and page count.

Claim level: concept, not an obligation. The subclause title is in the public preview. The body text is not public.

Last updated: 2026-10-21 · Markdown version · Check your practice