Module 2 — Architecture Vision

Theory 20 minutes + Workshop 60 minutes

Duration: 80 minutes. Artefact produced: Architecture Vision one-page brief.

What you will learn

Intent before artefacts

Explain why Architecture Vision is the executive intent layer, not a documentation exercise.

Decision focus

State the decision the architecture must enable and the outcome the sponsor expects.

Scope and boundaries

Define what is in scope, out of scope, constrained, and politically sensitive.

Success measures

Translate business ambition into measurable architecture success criteria.

Architecture Vision is the contract of intent

Phase A is where architecture becomes legitimate. The purpose is not to produce a beautiful document; it is to establish why the work exists, what decision it enables, who owns the outcome, what boundaries apply, and what success will look like. A weak vision creates endless rework because every later artefact has to guess the intent.

Write the vision before drawing the architecture

The CIO has asked for a cloud migration, but the executive team is split. Finance wants cost reduction, clinical leaders want reliability, security wants control, and delivery teams want fewer platform constraints.

Workshop task

Create a one-page Architecture Vision brief that states the business driver, decision to be made, target outcome, constraints, stakeholders, scope, and success measures.

Assessment prompt

Before you design the cloud target state, explain the Architecture Vision you would establish with the executive sponsor.

What to submit

One-page Architecture Vision brief; stakeholder list; decision statement; five success criteria; three explicit constraints.

Next module

Module 3 — BDAT Baseline and Gap Analysis. Planned.