The Enterprise Continuum consists of two complementary concepts: the Architecture Continuum and the Solutions Continuum1. The Architecture Continuum provides a consistent way to describe and understand the generic and reusable architecture building blocks, such as models, patterns, and standards, that can be applied and tailored to specific situations2. The Solutions Continuum provides a consistent way to describe and understand the specific and implemented solution building blocks, such as products, services, and components, that realize the architecture building blocks3. The Enterprise Continuum enables the reuse and integration of architecture and solution assets across different levels of abstraction, scope, and detail, ranging from foundation architectures to organization-specific architectures1.

The Enterprise Continuum is used when developing an enterprise architecture to support the following activities1:

•Selecting relevant architecture and solution assets from the Architecture Repository or other sources, based on the business drivers, goals, and requirements

•Adapting and customizing the architecture and solution assets to suit the specific needs and context of the enterprise

•Defining and developing the target architecture and the architecture roadmap, based on the gaps and opportunities identified between the baseline and the target states

•Defining and developing the implementation and migration plan, based on the architecture roadmap and the solution building blocks

•Governing and managing the architecture and solution assets throughout the architecture lifecycle, ensuring their quality, consistency, and compliance