Representing organizational environment/context
| Element | Definition | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
 | (External) Pool – a set of things or agents of a certain type. Both processes and External actors can add elements to the pool, or draw elements from it. | It can be a pool of potential customers, or potential employees, or methods of software development, or programming languages to choose from |
  | External actor – an external agent, like a company or person, acting outside the boundary of the organization. Double border line represent a set of external actors. Single border line shows that the shape represent only one external actor. | An external actor can represent a competitor that draws or adds elements from the same pool, or a indirect partner that adds to the pool. |
  | Decomposition of new elements. As the elements represent sets, the decomposition has the same meaning as for decomposition of assets and is done in the same way, i.e.. converting an element into a group, and placing new elements inside. | See explanations in FEM’s Basics |
Advanced relations in FEM diagram: Drawing/Adding, Inspects/Monitors and Association
| Element | Definition | Explanation/Comments |
|---|---|---|
   | Drawing/Adding – A process or an external actor can draw elements from a pool or add them to the pool. A label on the arrow explain the action. Also, elements from one pool can move to another pool due to some reasons. The label on the arrow explains the conditions. The modeler is free to set any label. | Drawing from a pool typically represent acquiring new elements to the assets, which ate taken and transform in the process. Adding elements to a pool represent the way the process or external actor affects its environment. |
 | Inspects/Monitors – a process gathers information about another process, asset, pool or external actor. The result is an informational asset that can be used in some other process as Tech & Info Infrastructure. The label on the arrow explains the action, examples see in the diagram on the left. The modeler is free to set any label. | This is to represent management processes related to gathering information about the sate of the organization or its environment. |
 | Association – a loose relation that can connect any too shapes. It can be asymmetric – the arrow exists only on one end, or symmetric – arrows on both ends of the relation. The label explains the nature of relation. The modeler is free to set any label. | Some labels sets automatically, as in the upper examples in the diagram to the left, but the modeler can changed them |