# 3.2.3 Architecting, ISO 42024 ## Published contents Contents1 Scope2 Normative references3 Terms and definitions4 Architecture concepts4.1 Overview4.2 Architecture and architecting4.3 Architecture design and solution design4.4 Architecture definition and communication4.5 Stakeholder concerns and architectural aspects4.6 Architecture viewpoints and architecture views4.7 Architecture frameworks and architecture description languages4.8 Architecture descriptions and architecture models4.9 Reference architectures and reference models4.10 Life cycle and life history4.11 Architecting precepts5 Architecting principles5.1 Introduction to the principles5.2 Principles about the purpose of an architecture5.3 Principles about the focus of an architecture5.4 Principles about architecting outcomesTerms 3.2 Architecting concepts 3.2.1 Architecture3.2.2 Architecture feature3.2.3 Architecting3.2.4 Architecting principle3.2.5 Architecture principle3.2.6 Architecture framework3.2.7 Reference architecture3.3 Entity related concepts 3.3.1 Entity of interest3.3.2 Solution entity3.3.3 Environment3.3.4 Context3.3.5 Enterprise3.3.6 System3.3.7 Aspect3.3.8 Dimension3.4 Architecture design concepts 3.4.1 Design (noun)3.4.2 Architecture design3.4.3 Architecture information package3.4.4 Engineering effort3.4.5 Solution design3.4.6 Solution information package3.4.7 Stakeholder3.4.8 Stakeholder perspective3.4.9 Concern3.5 Architecture description concepts 3.5.1 Architecture description3.5.2 Solution description3.5.3 Architecture view3.5.4 Architecture viewpoint3.5.5 Model3.5.6 Metamodel3.5.7 Reference model3.6 Entity life cycle concepts 3.6.1 Life cycle3.6.2 Life cycle phase3.6.3 Life cycle stage3.6.4 Life historyAnnexes A.1 Architecture design and solution related entitiesA.2 Architecture expressed as a set of modelsA.3 Life cycle and life history conceptsA.4 Enterprise and system conceptsA.5 Duality of architectural decomposition and architectural synthesisB.1 BackgroundB.2 Aligning architecture in designB.3 Duality of architectureB.4 Pursuit of opportunities Home / Glossary Architecting concepts · 3.2.3 # Architecting The whole activity around an architecture: conceiving it, defining and analysing it, expressing and documenting it, communicating it, certifying that it was implemented properly, extracting and applying it, and maintaining or improving it. - definition - Term - ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024 - Last updated: 2026-10-21 ## What this term settles Architecting is wider than drawing. It includes the communication, the certification of proper implementation and the maintenance of the architecture over time. A firm that only counts diagramming as architecture work will under-resource the parts that decide whether the architecture survives contact with delivery. ## What to do in your practice Map the firm current architecture work against the verbs in the definition. Mark each verb as done, partly done or absent, and name the role that does it. The gaps are usually communication, certification of implementation and maintenance. Put an owner and a cadence against each gap. ## Who it binds The role that owns the practice area the term governs. A definition binds nobody on its own; it binds the reader who adopts the term in a method, a description or a contract. ## Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for - A role map showing who conceives, expresses, communicates, certifies and maintains. An auditor asks who is accountable for each part of the practice, not only who draws. - A communication record for each major architecture, with the audiences reached. Shows the architecture was actually communicated, not merely published. - A certification note that the implemented entity matches the architecture. Connects the architecture to delivery and closes the loop the definition names. - A maintenance log with review dates. Shows the architecture is kept current rather than frozen at approval. Ask your teamWho in this firm certifies that what was built matches the architecture, and where is that recorded? ## Common gaps this page catches - Architecting is treated as a document production task with no maintenance owner. - No one certifies implementation, so drift is discovered by operations rather than by design. - Communication is a single presentation at approval and nothing after it. ## What to prepare before publication Run a half day review of the practice against the eight verbs in the definition. Record one evidence item per verb and one owner. The output is a practice map, which becomes the back page of the kit and the basis for the next review. ## Common questions What does Architecting mean in ISO 42024? The whole activity around an architecture: conceiving it, defining and analysing it, expressing and documenting it, communicating it, certifying that it was implemented properly, extracting and applying it, and maintaining or improving it. What evidence should we keep for 3.2.3? A role map showing who conceives, expresses, communicates, certifies and maintains. A communication record for each major architecture, with the audiences reached. A certification note that the implemented entity matches the architecture. ## Related units - 3.2.1 - 3.2.4 - 3.4.2 - 3.6.1 Source. ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024, Clause 3.2.3, Terms and definitions. 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: definition. The definition is in the public preview. This page states it in our own words and does not reproduce the text. Last updated: 2026-10-21 · Markdown version · Check your practice Source: https://iso-42024-revision-checker.theartofservice.com/glossary/architecting/