Architecting and designing > Generic enterprise architecture frameworks > Business Profile definition > Categories
  
Categories
You can categorize the products and services that your company offers, or the customers that use your products, or the suppliers your business deals with. You can create a category based on different customers, customer values, customer needs, processes, or management issues.
Each products and services definition (see Products and Services profiles) can be assigned to a category. Each customer profile (see Customers Profiles) can be assigned to a category. Each supplies profile (see Suppliers) can be assigned to a category.
For example, an automobile manufacturer produces cars that fit into different price categories. Services can be divided into warranty service or out-of-warranty service, and so on. Customers can be divided by gender, age, or interests. Suppliers can be divided by size or type of relationship they have with your business.
In the Category definition, you enter bullet-point observations of the category. Your objective is to get a better understanding of the business in terms of the categories of products and services it offers, the categories of customers it serves, and the categories of suppliers it deals with.
Customer names
Enter the distinguishing customer names that separate this category from other ones, if customer names are what make this a different category.
Customer values
Enter the distinguishing customer values that separate this category from other ones.
Customer needs
Enter the distinguishing customer needs that separate this category from other ones.
Relative size
Enter relative size of the category in terms of your business. For example, your business might offer products or services in some categories to a major degree, and other categories to a minor degree.
You do not need to enter units of measure measurement; you can just enter text.
Relative growth
Enter relative growth of the category in terms of your business. For example, your business might compete in a category of products or services to a minor degree right now, but the importance of the category to your company's business might be growing. Or, you might also enter in whether or not the category is growing in terms of the overall industry.
You do not need to enter units of measure measurement; you can just enter text.
Relative importance
Enter the relative importance of the category of products or services to your business.
Process
List the processes performed for a particular category.
See also
Business Profile definition