Frameworks & Practices

Approach

2 min read

TL;DR

Phase A starts when the sponsoring organization sends a Request for Architecture Work to the architecture organization. The architecture team responds with a Statement of Architecture Work, using the Architecture Vision to build stakeholder consensus and obtain approval to continue.

Core Pattern

For exam prep, remember the request-response pattern:

flowchart LR
    SP["Sponsoring organization"]
    RAW["Request for Architecture Work"]
    AO["Architecture organization"]
    AV["Architecture Vision"]
    SAW["Statement of Architecture Work"]
    SIGN["Sponsor sign-off"]
    BCD["Proceed to Phases B-D"]

    SP -->|"sends"| RAW
    RAW --> AO
    AO --> AV
    AV --> SAW
    SAW --> SIGN
    SIGN --> BCD

The Request for Architecture Work triggers the start of an ADM cycle.

The architecture team responds with the Statement of Architecture Work, which contains an overview of the Architecture Vision.

Practical Flow

  1. Receive the Request for Architecture Work from the sponsoring organization.
  2. Define scope if it is not already clear in the request: what is in scope, what is out of scope, and what constraints apply.
  3. Review available Preliminary Phase content and confirm it is still current.
  4. Obtain, verify, and understand business principles, business goals, strategic drivers, and architecture principles.
  5. Describe the baseline and target architecture at a high level across business, data, application, and technology domains.
  6. Define the Architecture Vision and create the Statement of Architecture Work.
  7. Use the Architecture Vision to communicate the benefits of the proposed business capability to stakeholders and decision makers.
  8. Build consensus with stakeholders and the sponsoring organization.
  9. Secure sponsor sign-off on the Statement of Architecture Work.
  10. Proceed to Phases B, C, and D to detail the target architectures.

Why Consensus Matters

The Architecture Vision is not just a document. It is a communication tool.

If stakeholders do not understand or accept the proposed direction, the final architecture is unlikely to be accepted across the organization.

Consensus is represented formally by the sponsoring organization signing the Statement of Architecture Work.

Exam note

  • Every architecture project starts with receipt of a Request for Architecture Work.
  • The request is sent by the sponsoring organization to the architecture organization.
  • The architecture team responds with a Statement of Architecture Work.
  • The Statement of Architecture Work contains an overview of the Architecture Vision.
  • Sponsor sign-off gives approval to proceed with further architecture development.
  • Phases B, C, and D detail the target Business, Data, Application, and Technology Architectures.

Sources

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