Enterprise-wide data standardization structure and method

A data structure embodied in a computer-readable medium, comprising:

• a logical business model that defines processes and organization of an enterprise;
• an implementation model that defines an information technology supporting the business model;
• a plurality of business object types that define core elements of the business model and the implementation model;
• a plurality of business objects, each comprising an instance of one of the business object types;
• a data structure embodied in a computer database that stores a representation of the business model, the implementation model, and, for each of the business object types, a business object type definition and respective business objects or instantiations of the business object type, the database accessible to a plurality of departments in an enterprise;
• the data structure and the database defining structural and functional interrelationships between the business model and the implementation model via logical and physical linkages among the business object types and the models;
• and
• wherein human-readable representations of structured data from the database coordinate the departments in implementing a product life cycle in the enterprise.