What are architectural decisions and descriptions?
All design and implementation choices are governed by a justified Architectural Decision. At a lower level of work, it's possible to keep a simplified record of an architecture decision and its reasoning. A simple architecture decision record and its explanation. This simplified model does not work for enterprise architecture. The complete record of your architectural decisions is represented in your enterprise architecture.
Your enterprise's strategy and design are the starting point for architectural decisions and descriptions. The process of architecture development will involve transitioning from strategy to solution delivery, which involves shifting from high-level design principles to specific implementation choices. With enough traceability to demonstrate that the implementation choice is aligned with the strategy.
The architectural descriptions show the system's structure, behavior, and dependencies. By explaining the 'how' and 'why' of complex systems, architectural decisions and descriptions help stakeholders comprehend them. This ensures that everyone involved in improving your enterprise is aligned and informed. In enterprise architecture, they are the essential building blocks for effective communication, collaboration, and decision-making.
The blueprint of an organization's systems is shaped by how different components interact, the business functions, technologies used, data flows, security measures, and much more.
Go Further with Best Practice Enterprise Architecture Process and Method
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What is the architectural decision process?
There is no ambiguity, the architectural decision process is identical to the architecture development method, TOGAF ADM.
In short, the method is to:
- Identify the source of the deficiency in the enterprise architecture domains
- Develop a change that removes the deficiency
- Understand the work to implement the change
- Approve the work to overcome the deficiency
- Document the architecture decisions – what will change, what won’t change, guidance an constraints on implementing the change
The complexity of modern enterprises necessitates analysis across all architecture domains for these simple steps. Consistent criteria must be used to assess and explore architecture alternative s. Architecture views need to be developed so that stakeholders understand the alternatives in terms of their different interests and preferences.
The purpose of TOGAF ADM is to find a solution to your organization's shortcomings. Effective guidance is provided to your organization to improve itself. This guidance is an architecture decision. There are multiple forms it can take.
What are the key architecture decisions?
The key architecture decisions are:
- Whether or not to change
- What the approve change is
- How to approach the change
- Constraints on design freedom and execution freedom
In fact, for more detailed decisions, you are usually looking for evidence that the implementation choice is not violating the strategy. The tension in all implementations is the transition from the expected value that led a project to be funded to the tactical benefits that the project tries to deliver. Portfolio owners may find the tactical benefit less compelling than what the implementers are failing to deliver. The source of all technical debt, unexpected cost, and structural rigidity is this.
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What are the 3 influences on architecture decisions?
The three influences on architectural decisions are:
- Architecture Context
- Stakeholder Concerns
- Current Problem Space
Architecture Context
The architecture context is simply a shorthand for your organization's environment, strategy, goals, and objectives. The external environment of your organization has a major influence on your enterprise architecture. There is a huge difference between a niche manufacturer of specialty tools, like the equipment used to manufacture microchips, and an organization that manufactures nails..
What the architecture needs to deliver is guided by strategy, goals, and objectives. A strategy is a plan of action. Goals and objectives are different forms of expressing a problem or deficiency.
Stakeholder Concerns
Stakeholders will select a change based on a complex set of decision criteria. In Architecture terms, these are concerns. The criteria for concern will include cost, change impact, feasibility, business continuity, and enterprise agility.
Current Problem Space
Every architecture development project starts with addressing a problem. It can be a big problem – how will we grow internationally, or a medium problem – how will we maintain compliance with a global customer master, or a small problem – how will we deliver our products? The classic enterprise architecture use cases identify questions that will be related to strategy, portfolio, project, or solution delivery.
Who makes architecture decisions?
To put it simply, stakeholders. In practice, it becomes very complex. It's not possible to rush to a stakeholder with every decision and architecture alternative. Different domain architects need to collaborate to develop the architecture. Hundreds of architectural decisions will be made by them. Working with subject matter experts, they will make thousands of architectural decisions together.
An architecture review board can assess the effectiveness of delegated decision-making using standard enterprise architecture governance checklists.
What is an Architecture Decision Record?
An architectural decision is a justified choice that addresses an architecturally significant requirement. An architecturally significant requirement is a requirement that has a measurable effect on an architecture and its fit for a broad range of interests (concerns).
In theory, an Architectural Decision Record records a single architecture decision and its reasoning. In practice, your enterprise architecture is both the architecture decision record and a repository. In practice, architectural decisions will cascade from the top-level.
Consider the example of a nail manufacturer who wanted to increase revenue. A top-level question of whether to manufacture steel products for others or stay in the nail business sets a strategy. Another architectural decision is whether to consolidate or distribute manufacturing. Another architectural decision is whether to use site-specific or common manufacturing systems. Choosing between a distributed customer master or a shared system that is utilized by all facilities is the next question at hand.
The design and implementation decisions are governed by each of these architectural decisions that are captured in the target enterprise architecture.
You need an effective architectural decision record, or enterprise architecture model, to capture the architecture decision records.
Conclusion on Architecture Decision Making
Enterprise architecture is not a matter of making every decision. The objective is to guide effective change. The goal is for your organization's people to make smarter choices that lead to incremental changes. The best architected organizations are constantly undergoing transformation – they simply skip the big bang. Their enterprise agility allows them to respond to threats or opportunities. They minimize risk and meet their objectives.
You can make architectural decisions from company strategy to the user-interface in a low-code system. Enterprise architecture both makes architectural decisions and guides others to make better architectural decisions. As well as better implement decisions and operational decisions.
Decisions that incrementally keep your organization on the best path. All our work in digital transformation is aimed at guiding effective change.
