Inter-Unit Relationships

Inter-unit domain relationships describe how organizational units (business units, departments, divisions, teams) interact with domain entities across the enterprise. While cross-domain relationships connect entities of different domain types, inter-unit relationships focus on the organizational dimension—capturing who owns, provides, consumes, governs, or supports specific domain entities.

Schema: inter-unit-domain-relationship.schema.json
Specification: JSON Schema Draft-07

Overview

Why Inter-Unit Relationships Matter

Modern organizations are complex networks of units that collaborate, share resources, and exercise oversight across boundaries. Inter-unit relationships make these interactions explicit:

Accountability clarity — Define who owns and who governs domain entities
Service relationships — Model internal provider-consumer patterns
Dependency visibility — Understand which units depend on others
Governance mapping — Track oversight and stewardship responsibilities
Resource optimization — Identify shared capabilities and reduce duplication

Relationship with RACI

Inter-unit relationships extend and complement traditional RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) models by providing richer semantic meaning. Where RACI answers "who does what role," inter-unit relationships answer "how do organizational units interact with domain entities."

Relationship Record

Each inter-unit relationship is a record with its own relationshipID. It names the domain entity (domainType plus entityName, entityID or both), the organization unit (orgUnitTitle, orgUnitID or both), the unit's relationshipRole and the relationshipStrength from 1 (very weak) to 5 (very strong, mission-critical).

Inter-unit relationships cover six domains: capability, information, service, valueStream, initiative and product. For relationships between domains, use cross-domain relationships.

Role Rules

The schema enforces these rules:

At least one of entityName and entityID identifies the entity, and at least one of orgUnitTitle and orgUnitID identifies the unit.
participating and triggering apply only to value streams (domainType valueStream).
sponsoring and impactedBy apply only to initiatives (domainType initiative).

Core Relationship Roles

The Triodian Metamodel defines eight core inter-unit relationship roles:

Owning

A unit that has primary ownership, control, and accountability for a domain entity. Each entity has one owning unit.

Property	Description
Semantics	Ultimate authority and decision rights over the entity
Implied	Budget responsibility, strategic direction, lifecycle management
Typical Domains	Capabilities, Products, Services, Information

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-003",
  "domainType": "capability",
  "entityName": "Portfolio Management",
  "entityID": "CAP-PM-001",
  "relationshipRole": "owning",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Wealth Management Division",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-WM-001",
  "relationshipDescription": "Wealth Management owns the Portfolio Management capability",
  "relationshipStrength": 5
}

Providing

A unit that delivers the core functionality, service or resource of a domain entity for use by others.

Property	Description
Semantics	Creates, maintains, and offers the entity as a service
Implied	Service levels, operational responsibility, availability commitment
Typical Domains	Services, Products, Information

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-004",
  "domainType": "service",
  "entityName": "Identity Management Service",
  "entityID": "SRV-IAM-001",
  "relationshipRole": "providing",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Enterprise Technology",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-ET-001",
  "relationshipDescription": "Operates the identity management service under SLA-IAM-001 with a 99.9% availability target",
  "relationshipStrength": 5
}

Consuming

A unit that actively uses the outputs or results of a domain entity to perform its own operations.

Property	Description
Semantics	Relies on the entity for operational or strategic purposes
Implied	Usage requirements, dependency on availability
Typical Domains	Services, Capabilities, Information, Products

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-005",
  "domainType": "capability",
  "entityName": "Customer Data Management",
  "entityID": "CAP-CDM-001",
  "relationshipRole": "consuming",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Retail Banking",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-RB-001",
  "relationshipDescription": "Retail Banking consumes customer data management in real time for onboarding",
  "relationshipStrength": 4
}

Benefiting

A unit that benefits from a domain entity, even indirectly, without consuming or operating it.

Property	Description
Semantics	Gains value from outcomes or existence of the entity
Implied	Stakeholder interest, indirect dependency
Typical Domains	Initiatives, Value Streams, Products

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-006",
  "domainType": "initiative",
  "entityName": "Digital Transformation Program",
  "entityID": "INI-DTP-001",
  "relationshipRole": "benefiting",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Corporate Strategy",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-CS-001",
  "relationshipDescription": "Corporate Strategy benefits from improved market position",
  "relationshipStrength": 3
}

Custodian

A unit that maintains the integrity, accuracy and compliance of an information or data entity without ownership authority.

Property	Description
Semantics	Maintains quality, ensures compliance, guards standards
Implied	Quality oversight, compliance monitoring, standards enforcement
Typical Domains	Information

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-007",
  "domainType": "information",
  "entityName": "Customer Master Data",
  "entityID": "INF-CMD-001",
  "relationshipRole": "custodian",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Data Governance Office",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-DGO-001",
  "relationshipDescription": "Ensures customer data quality, classification and retention compliance",
  "relationshipStrength": 4
}

Dependent

A unit that relies on the effective functioning of another unit's entity to achieve its objectives.

Property	Description
Semantics	Operations would be impacted if the entity is unavailable
Implied	Risk exposure, continuity requirements
Typical Domains	Capabilities, Services, Information

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-008",
  "domainType": "service",
  "entityName": "Market Data Feed",
  "entityID": "SRV-MDF-001",
  "relationshipRole": "dependent",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Trading Operations",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-TO-001",
  "relationshipDescription": "Loss of the feed halts trading and regulatory reporting; recovery time objective 15 minutes",
  "relationshipStrength": 5,
  "relationshipRationale": "Trading decisions and regulatory reports require live market data"
}

Supporting

A unit that gives operational advantage or risk reduction to another unit's activity with a domain entity.

Property	Description
Semantics	Enables or assists without primary responsibility
Implied	Advisory role, resource provision, specialist expertise
Typical Domains	Capabilities, Initiatives, Services

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-009",
  "domainType": "initiative",
  "entityName": "Cloud Migration Program",
  "entityID": "INI-CMP-001",
  "relationshipRole": "supporting",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Enterprise Architecture",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-EA-001",
  "relationshipDescription": "Embedded architects provide architecture guidance and standards support",
  "relationshipStrength": 3
}

Governing

A unit that sets rules, standards or oversight mechanisms for a domain entity.

Property	Description
Semantics	Sets rules, approves changes, enforces compliance
Implied	Authority over decisions, approval rights, enforcement power
Typical Domains	Capabilities, Products, Services, Initiatives

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-010",
  "domainType": "capability",
  "entityName": "Credit Decisioning",
  "entityID": "CAP-CRD-001",
  "relationshipRole": "governing",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Group Risk Management",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-GRM-001",
  "relationshipDescription": "Governs risk appetite, model validation and policy compliance; escalates to the CRO",
  "relationshipStrength": 5
}

Extended Relationship Roles

Beyond the eight core roles, the schema defines roles for specific contexts.

Contributing

A unit that provides partial input, expertise, or resources without being the primary provider.

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-001",
  "domainType": "capability",
  "entityName": "Risk Management Capability",
  "relationshipRole": "contributing",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Legal Division",
  "relationshipDescription": "Provides regulatory compliance expertise for risk assessments",
  "relationshipStrength": 4,
  "relationshipRationale": "Legal expertise required for regulatory risk assessment compliance"
}

Reviewing

A unit that validates, approves or signs off domain entity outputs or changes.

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-011",
  "domainType": "product",
  "entityName": "Mobile Banking App",
  "relationshipRole": "reviewing",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Information Security",
  "relationshipDescription": "Approves compliance and security changes before release",
  "relationshipStrength": 4
}

Monitoring

A unit that tracks performance, usage, or compliance without operational involvement.

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-012",
  "domainType": "service",
  "entityName": "Identity Management Service",
  "entityID": "SRV-IAM-001",
  "relationshipRole": "monitoring",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Service Management Office",
  "relationshipDescription": "Tracks SLA compliance and usage patterns; alerts below 99.5% availability",
  "relationshipStrength": 3
}

Coordinating

A unit that facilitates collaboration between the units involved with a domain entity.

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-002",
  "domainType": "valueStream",
  "entityName": "Customer Onboarding Value Stream",
  "relationshipRole": "coordinating",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Process Management Office",
  "relationshipDescription": "Orchestrates workflow between participating units",
  "relationshipStrength": 5,
  "relationshipRationale": "Critical coordination required for seamless customer experience"
}

Consulting

A unit that provides advisory input or specialist knowledge without operational responsibility.

Escalating To

A unit that receives escalated issues, exceptions, or decisions about the domain entity.

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-013",
  "domainType": "capability",
  "entityName": "Credit Decisioning",
  "entityID": "CAP-CRD-001",
  "relationshipRole": "escalatingTo",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Executive Risk Committee",
  "relationshipDescription": "Receives policy exceptions and threshold breaches; responds within four hours",
  "relationshipStrength": 4
}

Value Stream and Initiative Roles

Four roles apply to one domain only.

Participating and Triggering (value streams only)

A participating unit contributes to specific stages of a value stream; a triggering unit initiates or activates its execution.

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-014",
  "domainType": "valueStream",
  "entityName": "Customer Onboarding Value Stream",
  "relationshipRole": "triggering",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Sales",
  "relationshipDescription": "A signed customer application starts the onboarding value stream",
  "relationshipStrength": 4
}

Sponsoring and Impacted By (initiatives only)

A sponsoring unit provides funding, executive support or strategic backing for an initiative; an impacted unit has operations, processes or outcomes affected by it.

{
  "relationshipID": "IUR-015",
  "domainType": "initiative",
  "entityName": "Digital Transformation Program",
  "entityID": "INI-DTP-001",
  "relationshipRole": "sponsoring",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Office of the CEO",
  "relationshipDescription": "Provides executive sponsorship and funding approval",
  "relationshipStrength": 5
}

Complete Relationship Reference

Relationship Role (`relationshipRole`)

Value	Direction	Description
`owning`	Unit → Entity	Accountable for the entity's governance, lifecycle and quality; one owning unit per entity
`providing`	Unit → Entity	Delivers the entity's core functionality, service or resource
`consuming`	Unit ← Entity	Actively uses the entity's outputs or results to perform its own operations
`contributing`	Unit → Entity	Provides partial input, expertise or resources without being the primary provider
`benefiting`	Unit ← Entity	Benefits from the entity, even indirectly, without consuming or operating it
`custodian`	Unit → Entity	Maintains the integrity, accuracy and compliance of an information or data entity
`dependent`	Unit ← Entity	Relies on the effective functioning of another unit's entity to achieve its objectives
`supporting`	Unit → Entity	Gives operational advantage or risk reduction to another unit's activity
`governing`	Unit → Entity	Sets rules, standards or oversight mechanisms for the entity
`monitoring`	Unit → Entity	Tracks the entity's performance, usage or compliance without operational involvement
`reviewing`	Unit → Entity	Validates, approves or signs off the entity's outputs or changes
`coordinating`	Unit ↔ Units	Facilitates collaboration between the units involved with the entity
`consulting`	Unit → Entity	Provides advisory input or specialist knowledge without operational responsibility
`escalatingTo`	Unit ← Entity	Receives escalated issues, exceptions or decisions about the entity
`participating`	Unit → Entity	(value streams only) Contributes to specific stages of the value stream
`triggering`	Unit → Entity	(value streams only) Initiates or activates value stream execution
`sponsoring`	Unit → Entity	(initiatives only) Provides funding, executive support or strategic backing
`impactedBy`	Unit ← Entity	(initiatives only) Its operations, processes or outcomes are affected by the initiative

Domain Type (`domainType`)

Domain	Description
`capability`	Business capabilities
`information`	Information concepts and data
`service`	Services
`valueStream`	Value streams
`initiative`	Initiatives, programs and projects
`product`	Products

Schema Reference

Attribute	Type	Required	Description
`relationshipID`	String	✓	Unique identifier for the inter-unit domain relationship
`domainType`	Enum	✓	The domain of the entity: `capability`, `information`, `service`, `valueStream`, `initiative` or `product`
`entityName`	String		Name of the domain entity (this or `entityID` is required)
`entityID`	String		ID of the domain entity (this or `entityName` is required)
`relationshipRole`	Enum	✓	The organization unit's role in relation to the entity
`orgUnitTitle`	String		Name of the organization unit holding the role (this or `orgUnitID` is required)
`orgUnitID`	String		ID of the organization unit (this or `orgUnitTitle` is required)
`relationshipDescription`	String		How the unit is involved with the entity
`relationshipStrength`	Integer	✓	Intensity of the relationship: 1 very weak, 3 moderate, 5 very strong (mission-critical)
`relationshipRationale`	String		Why the relationship exists

Visualization Example

Usage Guidelines

When to Use Inter-Unit Relationships

Operating model design — Define how units collaborate around capabilities
Service catalog development — Map providers and consumers
Data governance implementation — Assign custodianship and ownership
Organizational change — Understand impact when restructuring
RACI enhancement — Provide richer context than basic RACI

Modeling Best Practices

Map ownership first — Start with clear owning relationships
Identify provider-consumer pairs — These drive service thinking
Don't over-model — Focus on material relationships
Record strength and rationale — Use relationshipStrength and relationshipRationale to show which relationships matter most and why
Connect to governance — Ensure governing relationships support accountability

Federation Scenarios

For organizations modeling across enterprise boundaries (joint ventures, shared services, multi-agency programs), inter-unit relationships can span external organizations. See External Organizations for cross-enterprise modeling patterns.

For Data Engineers

Inter-unit relationships map directly to data ownership and stewardship concepts in data governance frameworks. When integrated with OpenMetadata, these relationships can populate owner assignments and data steward roles across business glossary terms.

Cross-Domain Relationships — Relationships between domain types
Relationship Directionality — Understanding relationship direction conventions
Organization Domain — Modeling organizational units

Overview​

Why Inter-Unit Relationships Matter​

Relationship with RACI​

Relationship Record​

Role Rules​

Core Relationship Roles​

Owning​

Providing​

Consuming​

Benefiting​

Custodian​

Dependent​

Supporting​

Governing​

Extended Relationship Roles​

Contributing​

Reviewing​

Monitoring​

Coordinating​

Consulting​

Escalating To​

Value Stream and Initiative Roles​

Participating and Triggering (value streams only)​

Sponsoring and Impacted By (initiatives only)​

Complete Relationship Reference​

Relationship Role (relationshipRole)​

Domain Type (domainType)​

Schema Reference​

Visualization Example​

Usage Guidelines​

When to Use Inter-Unit Relationships​

Modeling Best Practices​

Federation Scenarios​

Related Documentation​