Where do IT Architects store their architecture?

Where do IT Architects store their architecture?

Architects generate a variety of artefacts, which they manage across different platforms based on the type of artefact and the audience. Here are some key storage locations:

- **Central Architecture Repository**: These specialised Enterprise Architecture platforms hold models, diagrams, and the relationships between technology systems and the business. Primarily used by architects, they are also accessible to IT and business users.

- **Documentation Platforms**: Tools like the company's DMS capture essential information such as:
 - Architecture rules: principles, decisions, standards
 - Architecture definition: strategies, high-level designs, and detailed designs
 These are utilised by architects and IT support teams and shared as company documents.

- **Diagramming Tools**: Visual design tools like Visio, Draw.io, and increasingly PowerPoint are commonly used for creating and presenting architectural diagrams.

- **Collaboration Hubs**: Communication and practice alignment typically take place in platforms like Teams (SharePoint), Slack, or Jira, which link architectural artefacts with the repository, projects, and stakeholders.

In essence, an Architecture Repository is a collection of artefacts stored in various locations and shared through corporate collaboration platforms. 

In today’s world of purposeful systems, is this approach sufficient? 

Where does your EA Practice store and share its architecture?