Common Agile Language for Modelling (CALM)
The Common Agile Language for Modelling (CALM) project is a FINOS open-source initiative that defines an architecture-as-code and business-architecture-as-code approach for describing enterprise change using a shared agile vocabulary and structured model artifacts (enterprise architecture / modeling).
- Defines a common agile language and meta-model for describing enterprise change initiatives (enterprise architecture).
- Provides architecture-as-code and business-architecture-as-code conventions for representing designs and roadmaps in version-controlled repositories (architecture-as-code).
- Supplies structured modeling artifacts linking strategy, operating model, architecture, and delivery backlogs (portfolio and change management).
- Aligns business, architecture, and delivery teams around a single, machine-readable representation of change (collaboration and governance).
- Operates under the FINOS ecosystem to support regulated financial institutions and other enterprises adopting model-driven change (financial services / regulated industries).
More About CALM
The Common Agile Language for Modelling (CALM) project under FINOS addresses the problem of fragmented terminology and disconnected artifacts across strategy, architecture, and delivery within large enterprises, particularly in financial services. It defines a common language and modeling approach so that business stakeholders, architects, and engineering teams can describe change initiatives in a consistent, machine-readable form. CALM focuses on representing change as structured models, enabling traceability from strategic intent through operating model design to delivery backlogs.
CALM is positioned as an architecture-as-code and business-architecture-as-code framework (architecture-as-code), where architectural and business design elements are stored and managed like source code in repositories. This approach allows organizations to version, review, and automate processing of architecture models using tooling that already exists in software development lifecycles. By encoding models in text-based formats and schemas, CALM supports automation, repeatability, and integration with pipeline tooling used for continuous delivery and governance workflows.
The project defines model elements and relationships that connect strategy, capabilities, operating model constructs, architecture views, and delivery work items (enterprise architecture / portfolio management). This creates a single model that can represent initiatives, roadmaps, and dependencies across lines of business and technology domains. Enterprises can use CALM artifacts to align planning and execution, analyze change impacts, and maintain a synchronized view of business and technology states.
Within institutional environments, especially regulated financial institutions, CALM is designed to operate in conjunction with existing Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) practices (governance / compliance). The architecture-as-code paradigm allows organizations to bring architectural controls, approvals, and reviews into the same automated environments that manage application code. This supports repeatable governance while keeping models accessible to both technical and non-technical stakeholders through shared language and structured documentation.
CALM fits into an ecosystem that includes enterprise architecture frameworks, agile portfolio management practices, and DevOps toolchains (enterprise architecture / DevOps). It does not replace these systems but provides a common model layer that can be referenced by them. Because it is hosted under FINOS, CALM is oriented toward collaboration between financial firms, vendors, and open-source communities. The project’s artifacts and specifications can be extended or integrated into internal modeling tools, reporting solutions, and automation scripts, enabling institutions to adapt the common language to their own context while retaining compatibility with the shared meta-model.