Policy : Architect for Change

Commitment to Adaptability
We architect for change, not for permanence. In a world of accelerating technological evolution and shifting business needs, our systems must be designed to embrace change rather than resist it. We prioritise modularity, scalability, and maintainability, ensuring that our digital products remain resilient, adaptable, and future-ready.

What This Means
Engineering teams must design and build solutions that are evolvable by default. Architectural decisions should enable, not constrain, and our technology choices must balance immediate business needs with long-term flexibility.

Our commitment to adaptable architecture is built on:

• Modular & Loosely Coupled Systems – We design software that is decomposed into well-defined, loosely coupled components, reducing dependencies and improving agility.
• Scalability & Performance as a Standard – We build systems that can grow seamlessly, handling increased demand without major rework.
• Resilient & Fault-Tolerant Design – We embrace failure as part of the system design, ensuring graceful degradation and rapid recovery to minimise business impact.
• APIs & Interoperability – We prioritise well-defined APIs, contracts, and integration patterns that enable smooth collaboration across teams, systems, and platforms.
  Infrastructure as Code & Cloud-Native Thinking – We leverage modern infrastructure approaches that provide flexibility, automation, and self-healing capabilities.

Why This Matters
Rigid architectures lead to costly rework, slow delivery, and technical debt accumulation. By architecting for change, we ensure that our systems can adapt to business needs, scale efficiently, and integrate seamlessly with emerging technologies. This approach allows us to stay competitive, respond rapidly to market shifts, and continuously deliver value with confidence.

Our Expectation
All teams must take a strategic and intentional approach to architectural decisions. Engineering leaders and architects must foster a culture of evolutionary design, balancing pragmatism with long-term resilience.

To support this policy, our engineering teams will be guided by architectural principles, standards, and reference patterns that promote adaptability while ensuring alignment with business objectives. By designing for change, we future-proof our digital landscape, creating a robust foundation for innovation, growth, and continuous improvement - driving Better Value Sooner Safer Happier.

This sets a clear and forward-thinking architectural vision while keeping it actionable.