File:Government Business Reference Model.svg

The BRM provides a means to describe the business operations of the Federal Government, independent of the agencies that perform them. The model is the primary “layer” of the FEA, and the foundation for the analysis of service components, technology, data, and performance.

In the model of the BRM above, four Business Areas separate Government operations into highlevel categories relating to the purpose of Government (Services for Citizens), the mechanisms the Government uses to achieve its purpose (Mode of Delivery), the support functions necessary to conduct Government operations (Support Delivery of Services), and the resource management functions that support all areas of the Government’s business (Management of Government Resources).

The model’s four Business Areas are decomposed into 39 Lines of Business. Each business line includes a collection of Sub-functions that represent the lowest level of granularity in the BRM. For example, the Environmental Management Line of Business encompasses three Subfunctions:

1. Environmental Monitoring and Forecasting;
2. Environmental Remediation; and
3. Pollution Prevention and Control.