Architecture: work in progress
Common components
- Last reviewed
- 14 October 2026
- Owner
- Head of Architecture
Definitions used across DfE to describe services, products, capabilities and other digital, data and technology concepts.
Common components are typically software or technical systems created once and reused many times in different services or business contexts.
Examples include applications, data, a network, security products and hosting. They're like building blocks, typically mapped to a business or technical capability, which can be used to deliver more complex services or systems.
Main characteristics
Common components can be any size but they all share the same characteristics.
They are:
- designed according to common standards, principles and patterns, with independent quality assurance
- designed and developed in a modular, scalable and resilient way to support ease of reuse and reliability
- mapped to a specific business or technical capability or service. This enables easy search and prevents duplication
- treated as an asset and therefore require support, continuous improvement, enhancement or replacement
- standalone but work alongside other common components, so that a change on one component doesn’t affect another
Why we use common components
The use of common components can bring significant benefits to the department and help you build better services, more quickly. Some of these benefits are:
- speed to market – reuse can save time to build, test and deliver services. You should not have to build services from scratch every time
- reduce duplication and cost – the more you reuse, the more you save through reduced duplication. This allows you to focus on the parts of the service that need innovation
- reduce risk – building to common standards lowers the risk of failure
Further guidance
For more information on common components or to discuss adding your component to the repository, email the architecture profession at architecture.profession@education.gov.uk