Architecting and designing > DoDAF > DoDAF 1.5 Activity Based Methodology (ABM) > Developing operational views with DoDAF ABM > ABM syntax rules
  
ABM syntax rules
To successfully develop integrated Department of Defense (DoD) architectures with System Architect and the Activity Based Method, certain design and syntax rules need to be followed. Some of these are enforced by current functionality in System Architect. The rest are beyond the scope of System Architect to enforce and, therefore, it is up to architects themselves to use these rules to guide their architecture projects.
Design syntax rules have been developed to enable automation of various DoD Framework architecture entities and Framework products. While the rules restrict some of the features of System Architect, the larger goal of having consistent integrated architectures coming from different users and being able to combine and analyze these architectures within and across DoD agencies and services takes preference.
See also
OV-5 context diagrams must include at least two external activities
An encyclopedia can contain multiple OV-5 activity model trees
Activity outputs must be different from their inputs
OV-5 outputs as controls usage
OV-5 leaf activities must have at least one input and one output
Tunneled inputs and outputs must be unique within an activity model
At least one OV-5 activity model child diagram must be of same type
Decomposing OV-5 input and output flows (branching and joining)
Needlines only created from information exchanges formed between leaf activities at different nodes
Needlines between activities within the same node
Developing operational views with DoDAF ABM