Linked.Archi TIME Framework Ontology
type: Ontology
version IRI: 0.1.1#
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
abstract: Application portfolio assessment ontology based on the Gartner TIME model.
created: 2020-07-27
creator: Kalin Maldzhanski
description: Ontology for representing application portfolio fit assessments and Gartner TIME dispositions (Tolerate, Invest, Migrate, Eliminate), including functional fit, technical fit, and cost fitness dimensions. Provides classes for applications, fit assessments, criteria scoring, evidence tracking, and OWL enumeration types with automatic quadrant classification. This is the OWL layer of the TIME framework. Use together with: * time-shapes.ttl (SHACL) — validates completeness and value constraints * time-tax.ttl (SKOS) — organizes controlled vocabularies for navigation This is not an official Gartner document.
issued: 2026-01-12
modified: 2026-05-02
publisher: linked.archi
publisher: Linked.Archi
references: bridging-application-disposition-frameworks
references: 43925-application-rationalization-metamodel
references: time
references: government-modernization
references: enterprise-apps
references: gartner-time-model
references: how-to-assess-and-improve-the-quality-of-your-application-portfolio
status: draft
preferred namespace prefix: timefw
version info: 0.1.1
definition: This ontology is designed to align with the Linked.Archi meta repository style and can be published with versioned IRIs and documentation.
was derived from: Gartner TIME Model

assessed application
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: Application
definition: Relates a fit assessment to the (single) application it assesses.

assessment status
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: Assessment status
definition: Governance status of the fit assessment.

assessor
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: Person
definition: Person who performed or recorded the assessment.

business owner
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Application
range: Person
definition: Relates an application to its accountable business owner.

cost fit rating
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: Fit rating
definition: HIGH/LOW abstraction of cost fitness (often derived from the costFitScore and assessment model threshold).

criterion
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit criterion score
range: Fit criterion
definition: Relates a criterion score to the criterion being scored.

dimension
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit criterion
range: Fit dimension
definition: Associates a fit criterion with the fit dimension it contributes to (FUNCTIONAL or TECHNICAL).

evidence type
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Evidence
range: Evidence type
definition: Classifies a piece of evidence by type.

functional fit rating
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: Fit rating
definition: HIGH/LOW abstraction of functional fit (often derived from the functionalFitScore and assessment model threshold).

has criterion score
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: Fit criterion score
definition: Relates a fit assessment to one or more criterion-level scores.

has evidence
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: Evidence
definition: Relates a fit assessment to supporting evidence items.

has fit assessment
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: assessed application
domain: Application
range: Fit assessment
definition: Relates an application to one or more fit assessments over time.

IT owner
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Application
range: Person
definition: Relates an application to its accountable IT owner.

lifecycle state
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Application
range: Lifecycle state
definition: Lifecycle state of the application (optional).

supports capability
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Application
range: Business capability
definition: Relates an application to a business capability that it supports.

technical fit rating
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: Fit rating
definition: HIGH/LOW abstraction of technical fit (often derived from the technicalFitScore and assessment model threshold).

TIME disposition
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: TIME disposition
definition: TIME classification outcome for the fit assessment.

uses assessment model
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: TIME assessment model
definition: Relates a fit assessment to the scoring model used to interpret its scores.

uses technology component
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Application
range: Technology component
definition: Relates an application to a technology component it depends on or uses.

assessment date
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: date
definition: Date when the assessment was performed.

cost fit score
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: integer
definition: Numeric cost fitness score (typically 1..5). Some Gartner guidance describes cost fitness as a dimension alongside business and technical fitness when determining a TIME disposition; interpretation depends on the assessment model.

criterion justification
type: DatatypeProperty
domain: Fit criterion score
range: string
definition: Justification for the criterion-level score.

criterion score
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit criterion score
range: integer
definition: Numeric score assigned to a criterion (typically 1..5).

criterion weight
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit criterion
range: decimal
definition: Optional weighting factor used in aggregating criterion scores.

email
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Person
range: string
definition: Email address for a person.

functional fit score
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: integer
definition: Numeric functional fit score (typically 1..5). Interpretation depends on the assessment model.

high threshold
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: TIME assessment model
range: integer
definition: Threshold at or above which a score is considered HIGH (e.g., 4).

rationale
type: DatatypeProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: string
definition: Narrative justification for fit scores and TIME disposition.

reference URI
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Evidence
range: anyURI
definition: A link to an evidence source (document, ticket, dashboard, repository, etc.).

scale maximum
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: TIME assessment model
range: integer
definition: Maximum score on the assessment model scale (e.g., 5).

scale minimum
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: TIME assessment model
range: integer
definition: Minimum score on the assessment model scale (e.g., 1).

source system
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Evidence
range: string
definition: System of record for the evidence (e.g., LeanIX, Jira, ServiceNow).

technical fit score
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: integer
definition: Numeric technical fit score (typically 1..5). Interpretation depends on the assessment model.

valid until
type: DatatypeProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Fit assessment
range: date
definition: Optional review-by or expiry date for the assessment.

Application
type: Class
subclass of: SoftwareApplication
definition: An application in the application portfolio being assessed with the TIME framework.

Assessment status
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  one of: Approved
  one of: Draft
  one of: Rejected
  one of: Superseded

Business capability
type: Class
subclass of: Concept
definition: A business capability supported by one or more applications. Modeled as a SKOS concept for flexible capability taxonomies.

Eliminate assessment
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: Fit assessment
  intersection of: Restriction
    has value: Low
    on property: functional fit rating
  intersection of: Restriction
    has value: Low
    on property: technical fit rating
subclass of: Fit assessment
subclass of: Restriction
  has value: Eliminate
  on property: TIME disposition
definition: A fit assessment where both functional and technical fit are LOW.

Evidence
type: Class
subclass of: Entity
definition: Evidence supporting a fit assessment decision (e.g., security assessment report, vendor roadmap notice, operations metrics dashboard).

Evidence type
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  one of: Architecture review
  one of: Business stakeholder input
  one of: Cost analysis
  one of: Operations metrics
  one of: Other
  one of: Security assessment
  one of: Technical debt register
  one of: Vendor roadmap

Fit assessment
type: Class
subclass of: Entity
definition: A point-in-time assessment of an application's functional fit and technical fit resulting in a TIME disposition. Some organizations also capture cost fitness as a third supporting dimension.

Fit criterion
type: Class
definition: A criterion used to evaluate functional or technical fit (e.g., capability coverage, maintainability, security posture).

Fit criterion score
type: Class
definition: A scored evaluation of one FitCriterion within a FitAssessment.

Fit dimension
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  one of: Cost
  one of: Functional
  one of: Technical

Fit rating
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  one of: High
  one of: Low
definition: Abstract rating for functional/technical fit (HIGH or LOW), typically derived from a scoring model threshold.

Invest assessment
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: Fit assessment
  intersection of: Restriction
    has value: High
    on property: functional fit rating
  intersection of: Restriction
    has value: High
    on property: technical fit rating
subclass of: Fit assessment
subclass of: Restriction
  has value: Invest
  on property: TIME disposition
definition: A fit assessment where both functional and technical fit are HIGH.

Lifecycle state
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  one of: Build
  one of: Plan
  one of: Retire
  one of: Run

Migrate assessment
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: Fit assessment
  intersection of: Restriction
    has value: High
    on property: functional fit rating
  intersection of: Restriction
    has value: Low
    on property: technical fit rating
subclass of: Fit assessment
subclass of: Restriction
  has value: Migrate
  on property: TIME disposition
definition: A fit assessment where functional fit is HIGH and technical fit is LOW.

Person
type: Class
subclass of: Person
definition: A person (assessor, business owner, IT owner, etc.).

Technology component
type: Class
definition: A technology component (platform, runtime, database, service, infrastructure, etc.) used by an application.

TIME assessment model
type: Class
definition: A scoring model describing scale and threshold used to derive HIGH/LOW fit ratings from numeric scores (e.g., 1..5 and HIGH if >=4).

TIME disposition
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  one of: Eliminate
  one of: Invest
  one of: Migrate
  one of: Tolerate
definition: Disposition in the Gartner TIME framework: Tolerate, Invest, Migrate, Eliminate.

Tolerate assessment
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: Fit assessment
  intersection of: Restriction
    has value: Low
    on property: functional fit rating
  intersection of: Restriction
    has value: High
    on property: technical fit rating
subclass of: Fit assessment
subclass of: Restriction
  has value: Tolerate
  on property: TIME disposition
definition: A fit assessment where functional fit is LOW and technical fit is HIGH.

Approved
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Assessment status
broader: AssessmentStatuses
in scheme: tax#

Architecture review
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Evidence type
broader: EvidenceTypes
in scheme: tax#

Build
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Lifecycle state
broader: LifecycleStates
in scheme: tax#

Business stakeholder input
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Evidence type
broader: EvidenceTypes
in scheme: tax#

Cost
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Fit dimension
broader: FitDimensions
definition: Relative cost of maintaining the application (cost fitness), often considered alongside business and technical fitness when segmenting enterprise applications.
in scheme: tax#

Cost analysis
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Evidence type
broader: EvidenceTypes
in scheme: tax#

Draft
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Assessment status
broader: AssessmentStatuses
in scheme: tax#

Eliminate
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: TIME disposition
broader: TimeDispositions
definition: Low functional fit and low technical fit; retire/decommission.
in scheme: tax#

Functional
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Fit dimension
broader: FitDimensions
definition: How well the application supports business needs/capabilities.
in scheme: tax#

High
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Fit rating
broader: FitRatings
in scheme: tax#

Invest
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: TIME disposition
broader: TimeDispositions
definition: Strategic and healthy; continue investing and enhancing.
in scheme: tax#

Low
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Fit rating
broader: FitRatings
in scheme: tax#

Migrate
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: TIME disposition
broader: TimeDispositions
definition: Important to business but technically weak; modernize, replace, or replatform.
in scheme: tax#

Operations metrics
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Evidence type
broader: EvidenceTypes
in scheme: tax#

Other
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Evidence type
broader: EvidenceTypes
in scheme: tax#

Plan
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Lifecycle state
broader: LifecycleStates
in scheme: tax#

Rejected
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Assessment status
broader: AssessmentStatuses
in scheme: tax#

Retire
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Lifecycle state
broader: LifecycleStates
in scheme: tax#

Run
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Lifecycle state
broader: LifecycleStates
in scheme: tax#

Security assessment
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Evidence type
broader: EvidenceTypes
in scheme: tax#

Superseded
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Assessment status
broader: AssessmentStatuses
in scheme: tax#

Technical
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Fit dimension
broader: FitDimensions
definition: Technical quality/maintainability/compatibility/operability posture.
in scheme: tax#

Technical debt register
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Evidence type
broader: EvidenceTypes
in scheme: tax#

Tolerate
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: TIME disposition
broader: TimeDispositions
definition: Keep as-is; technically acceptable but low functional fit / limited strategic value.
in scheme: tax#

Vendor roadmap
type: NamedIndividual
type: Concept
type: Evidence type
broader: EvidenceTypes
in scheme: tax#