In IT Architecture, how can architectural significance help you?
It's a bit easier to juggle balances and trade-offs when you have a north star and can prioritize.
When calls for your attention exceed your and your team's bandwidth it is time for triage. It is time to assign architectural significance
The top-down approach: Materiality
A somewhat strange word when you first encounter it, materiality is a close synonym for important.
The nuance comes in its implicit consideration of multiple factors to determine a degree of materiality.
It can be plotted across 2 axes:
You proactively manage elements of the portfolio identified as architecturally significant. They will undergo a customary process of
followed by setting
But be open to Learn Retrospectively!
Root cause analysis on issues/incidents can be valuable to go back and review. Keep an eye on whether the top-down approach may not be providing enough focus and/or even missing areas with substantive impact - the architecturally significant.
In any case, periodically review and confirm top issues with senior leadership stakeholders.
Just as metrics and performance change over time, so will strategy and goals. These changes will affect materiality ranking and serve to keep everyone's focus & energy on what is most important.