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Playbook · Strategy and influence · 7 steps
Setting an architecture strategy
Decide where to invest, where to standardise, and where to let things change fast.
“Strategy is making trade-offs in competing. The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.”
- 1Operating Model (Standardisation and Integration)How standardised and integrated does the business want to be? The architecture follows from that choice.Decide how standardised your business processes must be and how tightly units must share data; the architecture follows from that choice.Open
- 2Capability MappingWhat does the business do, independent of today's systems and org chart?Describe what the business does, independent of how, by whom, or with which system.Open
- 3Wardley MappingHow evolved is each capability, and which way is it moving?Map components by the value they provide and how evolved they are, from genesis to commodity.Open
- 4Core vs ContextWhich capabilities differentiate us and deserve our best engineering?Invest in what differentiates you; standardise or outsource everything else.Open
- 5Pace LayeringWhich layers must stay stable, and which should be free to change quickly?Layers of a system change at different speeds. Let fast layers move without disturbing slow ones.Open
- 6Red Queen EffectWhere are competitors forcing us to keep moving just to stay level?You have to keep running just to stay in the same place.Open
- 7The Architect ElevatorHow does each bet connect the boardroom's goals to the engine room's reality?Ride between the penthouse and the engine room: connect business strategy with technical reality.Open