Architecture should make the next decision easier
Novatecno perspective | Enterprise architecture
Architecture should make the next decision easier
Before creating another architecture view, ask which decision it needs to support. Is the organisation choosing an investment, agreeing a future capability, retiring an application or sequencing a transition? The answer determines the useful level of detail.
A capability map can show where investment is concentrated. An application view can reveal duplication or a dependency. A transition roadmap can show why one initiative needs another to move first. Their value lies in the conversation and decision they enable.
Make the assumptions, options, constraints and trade-offs visible. Identify who owns the outcome and which forum can decide. Record conditions so the reasoning remains available when circumstances change.
Not every repository element needs the same maintenance effort. Focus on information that could change an important choice. Give owners a simple way to correct the model and establish when a decision needs to be revisited.
Choose one important technology decision currently waiting for agreement. Put the outcome, options, evidence, dependencies and decision owner on a single page. Add architecture detail only where it changes the choice or makes its consequences clearer.
Your next decision
You do not need a finished brief.
