Strategic Architecture Analysis
How we analyze architecture strategically — mapping evolution, classifying complexity, exploring the option space, and weighing tradeoffs
A semantic contract: vocabulary your project supplies itself — ready to drop into your CLAUDE.md / AGENTS.md.
Strategic architecture analysis combines four lenses, each for a different question. Reach for it when evaluating build-vs-buy, assessing architecture fitness for changing requirements, or running a strategic technology-radar review.
Map the value chain with Wardley Mapping to see how each component evolves — what is commodity, what is genesis, and where the strategic differentiation actually sits.
Classify each challenge with the Cynefin Framework — Clear, Complicated, Complex, or Chaotic — so the response fits the domain instead of forcing one playbook onto every problem.
When a decision has a wide solution space, lay the dimensions and their options out in a Morphological Box and combine them deliberately, rather than anchoring on the first design that comes to mind.
Evaluate the shortlisted architectures against the quality goals with ATAM, naming the sensitivity points, the tradeoff points, and the risks each option carries.
When the root cause of a problem stays unclear, drill down with the Five Whys before committing to a direction.