Key takeaways
- Purpose: agree with key stakeholders on the target and the work to reach it.
- Objectives: an aspirational vision of value, and an approved Statement of Architecture Work.
- Triggering input: the Request for Architecture Work.
- Key outputs: vision, Statement of Architecture Work, Communications Plan, Capability Assessment, draft ADD.
Purpose and objectives
Phase A identifies key stakeholders and obtains their agreement, in the Architecture Vision, on a summary of the target and the work to get there. To start, the team defines the scope of the Architecture Project, lists stakeholders, concerns, and requirements, and assesses its own capability to carry out the work. The phase is only complete once key stakeholders have given their agreement.
Its two official objectives follow from this.
- Develop a high-level aspirational vision of the capabilities and business value the proposed architecture should bring
- Get approval for a Statement of Architecture Work defining the program to develop and deploy the architecture sketched in the vision
Main inputs
Phase A is triggered by a Request for Architecture Work and builds on what the Preliminary Phase put in place.
- Request for Architecture Work
- Business principles, goals, and drivers
- Organizational Model for EA and Tailored Architecture Framework
- Architecture Principles and existing Architecture Repository content
Key steps
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The steps do not necessarily follow this order; several are carried out in parallel and feed one another.
- Establish the Architecture Project
- Identify stakeholders, concerns, and business requirements
- Confirm and elaborate business goals, drivers, and constraints
- Evaluate capabilities and readiness for business transformation
- Define scope; confirm and elaborate the Architecture Principles
- Develop the Architecture Vision; define value propositions and KPIs
- Identify transformation risks and their mitigation activities
- Write the Statement of Architecture Work and secure its approval
Deliverables produced
Phase A delivers an overall picture that is still light on detail but sufficient to decide. Several deliverables are born there in draft form and will be enriched by later phases, in particular the Architecture Definition Document.
The Architecture Vision is a communication tool: it summarizes key stakeholder needs, goals and drivers, a high-level view of Baseline and Target, and the expected value. The Statement of Architecture Work sets the scope, approach, roles, plan, and acceptance criteria of the work; once approved by the sponsor, it becomes the reference that steers the Architecture Project in later phases.
- Approved Statement of Architecture Work
- Architecture Vision
- Communications Plan
- Capability Assessment
- Draft Architecture Definition Document, with high-level Baseline and Target views
- Refined business principles, goals, and drivers; confirmed Architecture Principles
TERMS TO KNOW
The terms, in context.
- Architecture Vision
- High-level description of the target and expected value, used to gain buy-in.
- Statement of Architecture Work
- Deliverable defining the scope, approach, and plan of the architecture work; approved in Phase A.
- Request for Architecture Work
- Request issued by the sponsor that triggers an architecture development cycle.
- Capability Assessment
- Assessment of the enterprise’s baseline and target capabilities and of its readiness for change.
- Communications Plan
- Plan stating what to communicate, to which stakeholders, when, and through which channels.