Artifacts catalog

Every artifact should support a decision someone needs to make. If you can’t name the decision and the reader, don’t produce it.

Quick reference

Artifact	Purpose	Primary audience	Module
Architecture vision	Align stakeholders on the target and get approval to proceed	Sponsor, executives	5
Capability map	Shared model of what the business does; frames investment	Executives, product, EA	4
Value stream map	Show how value flows to a stakeholder and where it’s lost	Product, business leaders	4
Architecture principles	Enable consistent decisions without central review	Everyone	6
Target state	Describe where the enterprise is heading	Leadership, architects	9
Roadmap	Sequence the change through transition states	Leadership, finance, delivery	9
Reference architecture	Reusable solution for a recurring problem	Solution architects, engineers	6
ADR	Record one significant decision and its reasoning	Engineers, architects, future readers	8
Options paper	Get a decision from leadership	Executives	10
Technology radar	Guide technology choices	Engineers, tech leads	8
Application inventory	Know what you have, what it costs, and who owns it	EA, finance, security	9
TIME assessment	Rationalize the portfolio	Leadership, finance	9
Context / container diagrams	Explain how a system fits and is built	Engineers, product	7
Layered view	Trace a business process down to technology	Architects, leadership	7
“How architecture works here”	Define EA’s scope, engagement model, and decision rights	Everyone	11

Outlines

Architecture vision

1. Problem or opportunity, and the business drivers
2. Scope (in and out)
3. Stakeholders and their key concerns
4. The vision: a short description of the target, with one diagram
5. Business value and success measures
6. Major risks and constraints
7. Approach and next steps

Architecture principle

• Name
• Statement
• Rationale: in business terms
• Implications: what following it requires

Architecture Decision Record

• Title: ADR-NNN, phrased as the decision
• Status: proposed / accepted / superseded by ADR-NNN, with date
• Context: the forces at play, constraints, and the options considered
• Decision
• Consequences: positive and negative

One-page options paper

1. Decision needed, and by when
2. Recommendation and main reason
3. Context (three to five bullets)
4. Options, usually three, each with cost, risk, time, and what it enables or rules out
5. Trade-offs of the recommendation
6. Next steps

Roadmap

• Capabilities as rows
• Now / next / later as columns
• Work packages in cells
• Transition states as milestones
• Dependencies and key risks
• Date last updated

Reference architecture

1. Problem it solves and when to use it (and when not)
2. Context diagram
3. Building blocks and recommended technologies (linked to the radar)
4. Key design decisions and their ADRs
5. Non-functional considerations: security, resilience, cost, observability
6. Examples of where it’s in use
7. Owner and review date

Application inventory record

• Name and description
• Business owner and technical owner
• Capabilities supported
• Annual cost (approximate)
• Business value (1–5) and technical health (1–5)
• TIME classification
• Lifecycle / end-of-support dates
• Data classification
• Key integrations

“How architecture works here”

1. What EA is for here, in one paragraph
2. Scope: what EA covers and what it doesn’t
3. Engagement model
4. Decision-rights table
5. How to engage EA, and expected turnaround
6. Forums: purpose, cadence, who attends
7. Where to find principles, ADRs, the radar, and roadmaps