Organization Domain

The Organization domain provides the foundational context for all other domains in the Triodian Metamodel. It represents the structural composition of an enterprise, including its legal entities, business units, divisions, and teams.

Schema: organization.schema.json
Specification: JSON Schema Draft-07

Overview

What is the Organization Domain?

The Organization domain captures the structural hierarchy and governance model of an enterprise. It defines:

• Legal entities and their jurisdictional context
• Business units and their responsibilities
• Reporting relationships and governance structures
• Geographic scope and operational models
• Cultural and compliance characteristics

Purpose and Value

The Organization domain enables architects and planners to:

• Map accountability by defining clear ownership structures
• Support governance through documented reporting relationships
• Enable compliance by linking organizational units to regulatory frameworks
• Provide context for all other domain entities (capabilities, stakeholders, services)

For Data Engineers

The Organization domain maps directly to data governance concepts:

• Organization Units → Data Domains in your catalog
• Owners → Data Owners and Stewards
• Geographic Scope → Data residency and sovereignty requirements
• Compliance Frameworks → Governance policies and classifications

Domain Attributes

Core Attributes

Attribute	Type	Description	Required
organizationID	String	Unique identifier for the organization, e.g. ORG-001	✓
orgTitle	String	Full legal or operational name	✓
orgShortName	String	Abbreviated name or acronym
legalName	String	Formal legal name of the organization
registeredAddress	String	Official registered address of the organization
incorporationDate	Date	Date the organization was legally formed (YYYY-MM-DD)
jurisdictionOfEstablishment	String	Legal jurisdiction where the organization is established
orgType	Enum	Type of organization	✓
country	String	Country where the organization is headquartered or primarily operates	✓
description	String	Detailed description of the organization	✓
structure	String	Description of the organization's structure
structureType	Enum	Organizational structure model
roles	String	Roles within the organization
missionStatement	String	Organization's mission
visionStatement	String	Organization's vision
values	String	Core organizational values
legalStructure	Enum	Legal entity type	✓
geographicPresence	String	Locations and geographic reach of the organization
geographicScope	Enum	Geographic operating range
operationalModel	Enum	How operations are organized geographically
size	String	Organization size in terms of employees, revenue etc.
currency	Enum	Primary currency for financial reporting
culture	String	Description of the culture within the organization
cultureType	Enum	Organizational culture classification
history	String	Key historical milestones
complianceFrameworks	Array[Enum]	Applicable regulatory and compliance frameworks
primaryLanguages	Array[Enum]	Languages used in operations
organizationUnits	Array[Object]	Sub-organization units

An organization record may not carry fields other than those listed above.

Organization Unit (organizationUnit)

Attribute	Type	Description	Required
orgUnitID	String	Unique identifier for the unit, e.g. OU-001; other records reference it as orgUnitID	✓
orgUnitTitle	String	Name of the organization unit	✓
description	String	Unit description	✓
purpose	String	Unit's primary purpose	✓
owner	String	Unit leader or owner	✓
higherOrganizationUnit	String	Name of the organization or unit directly above in the hierarchy
parentOrgUnitID	String	ID of the unit directly above this one (omit for a top-level unit)
subOrganizationUnits	Array[String]	Names of the units directly below this one
subOrgUnitIDs	Array[String]	IDs of the units directly below this one
roles	String	Key roles within the unit

Enumeration Values

Organization Type (orgType)

Value	Description	Example
governmentAgency	General government entity	US Environmental Protection Agency
federalNationalAgency	National-level government agency	Federal Railroad Administration
stateProvincialAgency	Regional government agency	California Department of Transportation
regionalAuthority	Regional administrative body	European Central Bank
localMunicipalAuthority	Local government entity	City of London Corporation
publicLimitedCompany	Publicly traded corporation	Deutsche Bahn AG
privateLimitedCompany	Private corporation	Uber Technologies Inc
corporation	General corporate entity	General Electric Company
limitedLiabilityCompany	LLC structure	Tesla Energy Operations LLC
partnership	Partnership structure	McKinsey & Company
soleProprietorship	Individual ownership	Local consulting practice
cooperative	Cooperative organization	REI Co-op
jointVenture	Collaborative entity	Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications
nonProfitOrganization	Non-profit entity	World Wildlife Fund
crownCorporation	Government-owned corporation	Canada Post
stateOwnedEnterprise	Government-owned business	Singapore Airlines
internationalOrganization	Cross-border organization	United Nations
other	Any other type of organization

Structure Type (structureType)

Value	Description	Example
functional	Organized by business function	Traditional departments: HR, Finance, Operations
divisional	Organized by product/market divisions	General Motors: Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC divisions
matrix	Dual reporting relationships	Project managers report to both functional and project leaders
hierarchical	Traditional top-down structure	Military-style command structure
flatHorizontal	Minimal hierarchy levels	Startup with CEO and individual contributors
regional	Organized by geographic regions	EMEA, APAC, Americas regions
countryBased	Organized by countries	Country managers for each national market
globalTransnational	Global structure	Global product managers across all markets
hubAndSpoke	Central hub with satellite units	Central R&D with regional implementation teams
distributedDecentralized	Spread across locations	Remote-first organization structure
network	Network-based organization	Alliance of independent partners
virtualRemote	Virtual organization	Fully remote workforce
hybrid	Mixed structural approaches	Combination of functional and product structures
productBased	Organized around products	Amazon: AWS, Prime, Retail product teams
customerMarketBased	Organized around customers	Enterprise, SMB, Consumer market segments
serviceLineBased	Organized by service lines	Consulting, Audit, Tax service lines
projectBased	Project-driven structure	Construction or engineering firms
teamOfTeams	Agile team structure	Spotify's squad and tribe model
crossFunctionalSquads	Agile squad model	Netflix's autonomous team structure
other	Any other structure

Geographic Scope (geographicScope)

geographicScope accepts the shared geographic scope list from common.schema.json (the first eight values) or one of the organization-specific values (the last six).

Value	Description
local	Operations in a city or metro area
regional	Operations within a state, province or sub-national region
national	Operations within one country
multinational	Operations in several specific countries
continental	Operations across a continent
global	Operations worldwide
crossBorder	Operations spanning a border between neighbouring countries
virtual	No physical geographic limit
regionalBloc	Operations across a trading or political bloc, such as the EU or ASEAN
emergingMarkets	Operations focused on emerging markets
developedMarkets	Operations focused on developed markets
asiaPacific	Operations across Asia-Pacific
europeMiddleEastAfrica	Operations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa
americas	Operations across North, Central and South America

Operational Model (operationalModel)

Value	Description
centralizedOperations	All operations managed centrally
decentralizedOperations	Operations distributed to units
hubAndSpokeModel	Central hub with satellites
distributedNetwork	Network of peer locations without a single centre
franchiseModel	Standardized franchise operations
licensingModel	Presence through licensees
representativeOffices	Small offices representing the organization in other locations
jointVentures	Presence through jointly owned entities
strategicPartnerships	Presence through partner organizations

Culture Type (cultureType)

Value	Description
highContextCulture	Communication relies on shared context and implicit meaning
lowContextCulture	Communication is explicit and direct
hierarchicalCulture	Clear authority levels and deference to rank
egalitarianCulture	Flat relationships and shared decision-making
individualFocused	Emphasizes individual achievement and responsibility
collectiveFocused	Emphasizes group goals and loyalty
riskAverse	Prefers caution and proven approaches
riskTaking	Encourages initiative and risk-taking
innovationFocused	Emphasizes creativity and new ideas
processFocused	Emphasizes efficiency and procedures
customerCentric	Prioritizes customer experience
employeeCentric	Prioritizes employee wellbeing
performanceDriven	Focuses on outcomes and performance
collaborative	Emphasizes teamwork

Domain Relationships

The Organization domain integrates with other metamodel domains:

Target Domain	Relationship Type	Description
Capabilities	Ownership	Organization units own capabilities
Stakeholder	Engagement	Organization units engage with stakeholders
Services	Provision	Organization units provide services
Information	Stewardship	Organization units steward information assets
Policy	Governance	Organization units govern policies
Value Stream	Participation	Organization units participate in value creation
Products	Development	Organization units develop and maintain products

Examples

Example 1: US Government Agency

{
  "organizationID": "ORG-001",
  "orgTitle": "Office of Railroad Safety",
  "orgShortName": "Railroad Safety",
  "orgType": "governmentAgency",
  "country": "United States of America",
  "description": "Regional safety oversight office responsible for inspections and enforcement of federal railroad safety regulations in the Northeast corridor",
  "structure": "5 Regional Offices - 8 Technical Divisions",
  "structureType": "regional",
  "missionStatement": "Reduce railroad-related accidents through proactive inspections and data-driven safety programs",
  "visionStatement": "Zero train accidents and employee injuries through technology-enabled safety systems",
  "values": "Safety First, Data-Driven Decisions, Continuous Improvement",
  "legalStructure": "federalNationalAgency",
  "geographicScope": "national",
  "operationalModel": "decentralizedOperations",
  "currency": "usd",
  "cultureType": "processFocused",
  "history": "Est. 1966, implemented PTC mandate 2008, achieved 99.6% compliance 2023",
  "complianceFrameworks": [
    "localRegulatoryRequirements"
  ],
  "primaryLanguages": [
    "english"
  ],
  "organizationUnits": [
    {
      "orgUnitID": "OU-001",
      "orgUnitTitle": "Track and Rail Infrastructure Division",
      "description": "Oversees track safety standards and inspection programs across the national rail network",
      "purpose": "Maintain Class 1-5 track safety standards compliance",
      "owner": "Director of Track Safety",
      "higherOrganizationUnit": "Office of Railroad Safety",
      "subOrganizationUnits": [
        "Track Geometry Program",
        "Rail Defect Detection",
        "Bridge Safety Unit"
      ],
      "roles": "Senior Track Inspector, Rail Integrity Specialist, Bridge Safety Engineer"
    }
  ]
}

Example 2: European Multinational Corporation

{
  "organizationID": "ORG-002",
  "orgTitle": "Deutsche Bahn AG",
  "orgShortName": "DB",
  "orgType": "publicLimitedCompany",
  "country": "Germany",
  "description": "National railway company providing passenger and freight transportation services across Germany and Europe",
  "structureType": "divisional",
  "missionStatement": "Connect people and markets through sustainable mobility solutions",
  "visionStatement": "Leading integrated mobility provider in Europe",
  "values": "Customer Focus, Sustainability, Innovation, Reliability",
  "legalStructure": "publicLimitedCompany",
  "geographicScope": "multinational",
  "operationalModel": "hubAndSpokeModel",
  "currency": "eur",
  "cultureType": "customerCentric",
  "size": "338,000 employees, €44.4B annual revenue",
  "complianceFrameworks": [
    "iso9001",
    "iso14001",
    "gdpr"
  ],
  "primaryLanguages": [
    "german",
    "english"
  ]
}

Example 3: Asian Technology Corporation

{
  "organizationID": "ORG-003",
  "orgTitle": "Singapore Digital Railways Corporation",
  "orgShortName": "SDRC",
  "orgType": "stateOwnedEnterprise",
  "country": "Singapore",
  "description": "Technology-focused urban rail operator providing smart transportation solutions",
  "structureType": "matrix",
  "missionStatement": "Transform urban mobility through innovative digital rail solutions",
  "visionStatement": "World's smartest rail network by 2030",
  "values": "Innovation, Excellence, Sustainability, Customer Delight",
  "legalStructure": "stateOwnedEnterprise",
  "geographicScope": "local",
  "operationalModel": "centralizedOperations",
  "currency": "sgd",
  "cultureType": "innovationFocused",
  "complianceFrameworks": [
    "iso27001",
    "localRegulatoryRequirements"
  ],
  "primaryLanguages": [
    "english",
    "mandarinChinese"
  ]
}

Implementation Guidelines

Global Deployment Considerations

1. Localization: Select appropriate values for country-specific implementations
2. Compliance: Choose relevant compliance frameworks based on jurisdiction and industry
3. Cultural Adaptation: Select culture types that reflect local business practices
4. Language Support: Include all languages used in organizational operations
5. Currency Handling: Use primary operational currency or multi-currency for global organizations

Data Quality Best Practices

1. Enumeration Usage: Use enumerated values wherever possible for consistency
2. Required Fields: Ensure all required fields are populated
3. Validation: Implement schema validation in applications
4. Regular Reviews: Periodically review and update organizational data
5. Relationship Mapping: Maintain clear relationships with other domain entities

Domain Integration

The Organization domain provides the foundational context for all other domains:

• Start Here: Begin enterprise architecture modeling with Organization
• Reference Point: Use Organization units as owners and participants in other domains
• Consistency: Reference organization units from other domains by orgUnitID, keeping orgUnitTitle beside it for readability
• Relationships: Establish clear relationships between Organization units and other domain entities

OpenMetadata Integration

For Data Platform Teams

When integrating with OpenMetadata, map Organization entities as follows:

Triodian Element	OpenMetadata Entity	Notes
Organization	Team /Organization	Top-level organizational entity
Organization Unit	Team	Nested teams for hierarchy
Owner	User	Link to user profiles
Compliance Frameworks	Tags /Classifications	Apply as governance tags
Geographic Scope	Custom Property	For data residency tracking

# Example: Create OpenMetadata team from Organization Unit
def create_om_team(org_unit):
    return {
        "name": org_unit["orgUnitID"],
        "displayName": org_unit["orgUnitTitle"],
        "description": org_unit["description"],
        "teamType": "BusinessUnit",
        "parents": [org_unit["parentOrgUnitID"]] if "parentOrgUnitID" in org_unit else []
    }

Schema Reference

• Repository: Triodian/Triodian_Metamodel
• Schema: organization.schema.json
• Specification: JSON Schema Draft-07
• License: Apache License 2.0

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Next: Stakeholder Domain | Related: Inter-unit Relationships