Smart people have been thinking on how to create IT architectures as long as there has been computers. Ideas come and go, however creating good architectures can still be complex and time consuming.
An architecture checklist helps in the governance process. Architecture checklists can become long, complex and time consuming in usage. However my aim with this architecture checklist is that it will help you and all your stakeholders involved in a simple way when you are dealing with architecture quality and risk aspects.
Of course: There is no perfect IT architecture checklist out there. Solving complex business IT problems is hard work and requires knowledge, experience and a good positive mindset.
This architecture checklist is composed out of some critical questions that all relate back to the main goal of doing architecture in the first place.
Simple architecture checklist questions:
- Is your main goal covered and reached with this architecture?
- Does the architecture address operability?
- Does the architecture address the following quality attributes:
- performance
- availability
- maintainability
- modifiability
- security
- privacy
- testability
- operability
- flexibility
- Does the architecture address and use principles? E.g. business principles.
- Can implementation risks easily be derived out of your architecture deliverables?
- Are architecture reviews done in a structured way? Architecture reviews SHOULD be performed to increase quality, control costs and reduce risks.
- Is it clear what assumptions are used for your architecture? (Take explicit and implicit assumptions into account!)
Most of the time the simple questions are the best. If you want to improve your business IT architecture by using more simple but very effective tools, take a look at the Open Architecture Playbook.
