This standard ensures systems are architected with modularity and adaptability in mind, enabling teams to make changes safely, quickly, and with minimal disruption. It promotes long-term agility and reduces the hidden cost of architectural debt.
Aligned to our "Architect for Change" policy, this standard supports scalable design, faster iteration, and technical resilience. Without it, change becomes costly, fragile, and a blocker to innovation.
Clearly defined impacts of meeting this standard include improved delivery flow, reduced risk, higher system resilience, and better alignment to business needs. Over time, teams will see reduced rework, faster time to value, and stronger system integrity.
Level 1 – Initial: Design choices are ad hoc; architecture frequently impedes change.
Level 2 – Managed: Some architecture practices reduce change cost, but consistency is limited.
Level 3 – Defined: Modular architecture principles are documented and adopted across teams.
Level 4 – Quantitatively Managed: Architectural decisions are driven by impact on change lead time and effort.
Level 5 – Optimising: Architecture is continuously evolved and informed by feedback loops and change data.