Artefacts

What Is an Artefact in ArchRepo?

In ArchRepo, an Artefact is a register entry for any document or deliverable produced by the project. It is a lightweight record — not the document itself — that tells the team what has been produced, what type it is, which version it is, when it was issued, and where to find it.

Artefacts cover the full range of project output:

• Commercial — contracts, statements of work, purchase orders, vendor agreements
• Project — project plans, status reports, meeting minutes, risk registers
• Solution — solution design documents, architecture decision records, integration specifications
• Business — business cases, stakeholder briefs, process documentation, training materials
• Technical — technical specifications, API documentation, infrastructure runbooks, deployment guides
• Data — data dictionaries, data mapping documents, data migration plans
• Support — support guides, operational procedures, handover documents
• Other — any deliverable that does not fit the categories above

A new Artefact entry is created for each version of a document. If a design specification goes through three approved versions, there will be three Artefact records — one per version — each with its own issue date and link.

Why Register Artefacts in an Architecture Repository?

Projects produce a large volume of documents spread across multiple systems. Without a central register, it is easy to lose track of what has been produced, which version is current, and where to find it.

Registering artefacts in ArchRepo provides:

• Single index of project outputs — one place to see everything the project has produced, regardless of where it is stored
• Version traceability — a clear history of what was issued and when; useful for audits, handovers, and post-project reviews
• Type-based filtering — quickly find all Technical artefacts, all Commercial documents, or all Business artefacts across the project
• Link to source — every entry links directly to the artefact in its storage system, removing the need to hunt through file shares or document management systems

Artefacts in ArchRepo

In ArchRepo, Artefacts are model items identified by an auto-generated reference in the format ART-1, ART-2, etc.

Each Artefact record captures:

• What it is — a description of the document and its purpose
• What type it is — classified using the Type field (see below)
• Which version — the version number of this specific issue
• When it was issued — the date it was formally published or shared
• Where to find it — a direct link to the artefact in its storage location

Artefact Types

A New Entry Per Version

When a document is revised and a new version is issued, add a new Artefact record rather than updating the existing one. This preserves the history of what was in place at each point in the project timeline — which matters for audits, disputes, and post-project reviews.

ArchRepo Registers, Not Stores

ArchRepo does not store documents. The Link field on each Artefact record points to wherever the document actually lives — SharePoint, Confluence, Google Drive, a document management system, or any other URL-accessible location. ArchRepo provides the register; your document management system provides the storage.

Fields Reference

See Artefact Fields for a description of each field and guidance on what to record.