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ADR Templates: 5 Variations for Different Contexts + Governance Automation

One ADR template does not fit every architectural context. Five purpose-built variations — for standard decisions, agentic AI, cross-domain impact, fast delivery, and high-risk reversals — plus governance automation to make the system run without manual follow-up.

Executive Summary Who this is for: Enterprise Architects, Solution Architects, Architecture Leads, Engineering Managers Problem it solves: A single ADR template applied to every decision...

Architecture Adr Governance Read Insight

Your HCI Proof of Concept Measures the Wrong Thing.

Most organizations evaluate private cloud and HCI platforms by running a technical POC. The POC passes. The platform fails. The reason is structural — and fixable. The Platform Fitness Evaluation Model (PFEM) tells you what to measure instead.

...POC is usually infrastructure or operations. They evaluate technical capability. Nobody asks the architecture question: Does this platform fit our operating model? That question is not in the RFP. It...

Architecture Platform Engineering Governance Read Insight

Nobody Uses ADRs as an Agentic Decision Log. They Should.

Why Architectural Decision Records are the only structure most organizations already have that can govern AI agent accountability — and how to extend them into an Agentic Decision Log before the EU AI Act deadline.

Executive Summary Who this is for: Enterprise Architects, CTOs, Solution Architects, Architecture Governance Teams Problem it solves: Organizations deploying AI agents have no structural...

Architecture Governance Read Insight

Quality Attributes / -ilities

SA, EA — Intermediate5-6 hoursQuality attribute reference card + -ility prioritisation matrix

The non-functional characteristics that determine whether a system is truly fit for purpose — scalability, reliability, availability, performance, security, maintainability, and more.

...processes orders correctly but crashes under load, takes 30 seconds to respond, or exposes customer data isn't fit for purpose. I've seen teams build systems that do the right things — but do them slowly,...

1 DayIntensive

SA · EARoles

Architecture Quality Attributes Non Functional Requirements Design Tactics View Details

Requirements, Constraints, Trade-offs & Compromise

All levels — SA, EA, TS5-6 hoursTrade-off framework + constraint register template + requirements classification guide

The art of making the best possible architectural decision given what is required, what is constrained, and what must be sacrificed.

Quick Navigation Start here — What architecture really is Functional vs non-functional requirements Constraints Competing priorities Trade-off...

1 DayIntensive

PracticeReal decisions

Architecture Foundations Requirements Trade Offs Decision Making View Details

Application & Technology Landscape

All levels — SA, EA, TS4-5 hoursApplication landscape register + technology heat map + dependency matrix

How to build, read, and use the full picture of what an organisation runs — every application, platform, integration, and technology — and how they depend on each other.

...second column, you're making decisions blind. What to capture — Applications, platforms, integrations, data flows, and technologies "Landscape" can mean different things. Without scope, teams either capture...

1 dayIntensive

PracticalLandscape exercise

Architecture Enterprise Context Application Landscape Technology Landscape Rationalisation Dependencies View Details

Portfolio & Dependency Thinking

All levels — SA, EA, TS4-5 hoursPortfolio map template + dependency radar + investment alignment grid

How to see all systems, initiatives, and investments as a connected whole — understanding dependencies, shared capabilities, and how decisions in one place ripple across others.

...the system of systems. This shift from single-system to portfolio thinking is what separates solution architecture from enterprise architecture. Keep it in mind. From systems thinking to portfolio thinking...

1 dayIntensive

StrategicPortfolio-level

Architecture Enterprise Context Portfolio Thinking Dependencies Investment Systems Thinking View Details

Solution Decomposition

Intermediate (SA, EA)4-6 hoursDecomposition canvas + domain/service/component hierarchy guide

How to break large, complex systems into smaller, independently manageable parts — so different teams can build, own, and change them without stepping on each other.

...decomposition. Write that down before moving on. Strategies for decomposition — By domain, capability, data, team There are many ways to break a system apart. The strategy you choose determines what kind...

1.5 DaysIntensive

FoundationSA · EA

Architecture Solution Design Decomposition Domain Driven Design Boundaries View Details

Technical Debt & Rationalisation

Intermediate to Advanced (SA, EA, TS)5-6 hoursTechnical debt taxonomy + rationalisation prioritisation framework + modernisation criteria

How to understand, measure, prioritise, and reduce technical debt — the accumulated cost of shortcuts, outdated decisions, and deferred maintenance.

...accidental, bit rot, and architectural Not all debt is the same. A missing test is different from a wrong architecture. A deprecated library is different from a shared database. Treating all debt the same leads...

1 DayIntensive

StrategicSA · EA · TS

Architecture Technical Debt Rationalisation Modernisation Governance View Details

AI Policy, Security & Organisational Controls

Beginner to Intermediate4-5 hoursAI policy checklist + security controls map + incident response starter template

Building and enforcing AI policy — the practical mechanisms that turn ethical principles into enforceable organisational rules. Data security, access controls, audit trails, and incident response.

Quick Navigation The enforcement gap Anatomy of an AI policy Data security Prompt injection and adversarial risk Access controls Audit trails and logging Incident...

1 DayIntensive

Beginner FriendlyNo legal background required

AI Policy AI Security Organisational Controls AI Governance Data Security Compliance AI Fluency View Details

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