Helhetsschema

Helhetsschema is a term used in information architecture and systems thinking to describe a comprehensive, integrative schema that covers multiple domains, processes, data entities, and relationships within an organization or project. The concept favors a holistic view over siloed structures and is often employed in architectural and transformation work to align different perspectives.

Etymology: The word combines helhet, Swedish for wholeness or entirety, with schema, a structured representation of data and relationships. In Nordic contexts the term is commonly used to indicate an overarching model that binds people, processes, data, and technology into a coherent whole.

Characteristics: A helhetsschema defines scope, identifies cross-domain connections, and models entities, events, and rules across domains. It supports governance, lifecycle management, and compliance considerations, while allowing different levels of abstraction to enable both overview and detailed analysis.

Applications: It is used in enterprise architecture, data governance, systems integration, and digital transformation projects. By providing a unified reference model, it facilitates interoperability, data quality, impact analysis, and stakeholder alignment across departments and disciplines.

Limitations and challenges: Building and maintaining a helhetsschema can be complex and resource-intensive. Ensuring consistency across domains, managing change, and balancing competing priorities requires broad sponsorship and ongoing collaboration.

Examples and variants: In practice, a helhetsschema might integrate customer, product, order, and supplier domains alongside processes, applications, and governance rules. Related concepts include holistic design, systems thinking, enterprise architecture, ontology, and schema integration.