NORA Certification
Certification-ready enterprise architecture: structured gaps closure, compliant artifacts, and a repeatable governance rhythm aligned to NORA.
Why it matters
NORA (the National Overall Reference Architecture) is the Digital Government Authority's guidance for EA in Saudi public entities. It defines lifecycle stages, reference models, and governance patterns so agencies implement EA consistently and can be accredited against national maturity expectations. Several entities (e.g., MOH) have announced receipt of the NORA Accreditation Certificate, indicating conformance with DGA's criteria.
How NORA Certification is achieved (approach)
Readiness & Gap Assessment
Map current EA practices, artifacts, and governance against NORA stages and the Saudi maturity expectations; produce a prioritized gap list and remediation plan.
EA Artifacts by Stage
Build or refine required artifacts in line with NORA's lifecycle (e.g., EA project strategy/plan, current & target architectures, reference models, transition plan, management plan).
Reference Models & Standards
Establish the core reference models and standards library that NORA expects to see reused across solutions.
Governance & Roles
Operate a lightweight Architecture Review Board and decision workflow; clarify roles and decision logs to evidence governance in practice. (NORA emphasizes governance across stages.)
Evidence & Repository
Organize a single source of truth (catalogs, models, decisions, approvals) to support accreditation review and ongoing audits. (NORA guidance highlights balance of process and deliverables.)
Mock Review & Fixes
Run a simulated accreditation review against the Saudi maturity expectations; close findings with targeted sprints. (Accreditation is awarded for demonstrated application of NORA.)
Submission & Liaison
Prepare the submission package and support Q&A during assessment, including clarifications and additional evidence as requested. (Accreditation is granted by DGA.)
Sustainment Plan
Define a maintain-and-improve cycle (backlog, metrics, refresh cadence) so accreditation is sustained post-award in accordance with NORA's "Execute and Maintain" stage.
What you get
- NORA compliance matrix mapped to maturity expectations and evidence locations.
- Complete artifact set per NORA lifecycle (strategy/plan, current & target architectures, reference models, transition & management plans).
- Governance pack (ARB charter, review criteria, decision templates, logs) demonstrating EA is operating, not only documented.
- Accreditation submission bundle and mock-review report with resolved findings.
- Repository & evidence pack ready for assessor sampling (catalogs, models, approvals, change history).
- Sustainment roadmap to retain accreditation and progress maturity.
Ready to achieve NORA certification?
Let's discuss how we can help you achieve DGA NORA accreditation for your enterprise architecture.
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