The Architecture Reality Test™
- Sunil Dutt Jha
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
A 90-Minute Project Exposure Session
Powered by ICMG Enterprise Anatomy™
Why This Exists
Most enterprises believe they have architecture because they have:
Capability maps.
Microservice diagrams.
Reference stacks.
Governance decks.
Systems are running. Releases are going out. There is no visible failure.
But architecture is not proven at go-live. It is proven when change begins.
The Architecture Reality Test™ answers one question:
When real operational change occurs, can your project demonstrate how strategy connects to process flow, how process connects to rule logic, how rule logic connects to components, and how runtime behavior reflects that intent — without depending on a person?
What Happens During the 90 Minutes
We use real enterprise scenarios. In Retail lending, for example scenarios are:
• Regulatory threshold reduction
• Pricing logic adjustment
• Cross-channel eligibility conflict
• Override authority dispute
• System consolidation decision
For each scenario, the project must demonstrate how the decision flows end-to-end::
P1 – Decision intent P2 – Sequence and order P3 – Rule logic location P4 – Component boundaries P5 – Implementation change surface P6 – Operational effect
If explanation replaces demonstration, architecture is memory-dependent. That is where financial exposure begins.
The Financial Equation Behind the Test
Architecture does not fail loudly. It inflates cost quietly.
Consider a $10M enterprise platform.
Over five years, it may undergo 300–400 lifecycle changes.
If architecture is unclear, three multipliers activate:
1. Change Amplification (Ca) Cost per change increases due to rule rediscovery and clarification cycles.
Example: Baseline change cost = $30,000
Post-ambiguity cost = $42,000
Increase = $12,000 per change
Across 350 changes: $12,000 × 350 = $4.2M
2. Impact Analysis Multiplier (Ia) Analysis time doubles due to sequencing and rule uncertainty.
If impact analysis extends from 4 days to 8 days across 200 moderate changes:
Additional 4 days × $1,000 blended rate × 200= $800,000 delay cost
This excludes opportunity delay.
3. Rework Multiplier (Rw) Misinterpreted logic creates correction cycles.
Even a 20% rework rate across $5M of functional enhancement = $1M reconstruction cost
Total Exposure Formula
Total Lifecycle Inflation (TLI) = (Ca × Change Volume) + (Ia × Event Volume) + Rw
For a $10M platform, it is not unusual to see:
$4M – $8M additional lifecycle spend without any infrastructure failure.
The system works. The decisions do not scale.
What the Reality Test Reveals
The session identifies whether:
Change cost is predictable
Rule ownership is clear
Sequence order is stable
Component boundaries are respected
Runtime behavior can be traced back to decision intent
If these cannot be shown clearly, cost expansion is already embedded.
Why This Is Different
This is not a maturity survey .This is not a documentation audit. This is not a governance review. It is a live exposure of decision continuity.
Architecture is not a project artifact discipline. It is the decision model that governs the enterprise for 1, 3, 5, and 10 years after go-live. If that model is unclear, modernization becomes reconstruction. If that model is clear, change becomes controlled.
What You Receive
Financial Reality Classification
A concise exposure note outlining activated cost multipliers
No long report. No obligation.
Financial Reality Outcome
At the end of the 90-minute session, the enterprise is classified into one of three financial states:
Controlled
-Change economics are predictable. -Rule authority is clear. -Impact analysis is contained. -Lifecycle inflation risk is low.
Amplifying
-Change cost multipliers are active. -Clarification cycles are increasing. -Rule logic is distributed across teams. -Impact analysis time is expanding. -Lifecycle cost is trending upward beyond original projections. Estimated expansion risk: 15–30%
Compounding
-Reconstruction is embedded into operations.
-Each moderate change triggers cross-team rediscovery.
-Sequencing and rule authority are debated, not demonstrated.
-Lifecycle inflation is structurally active.
Estimated expansion risk: 30–60% over 5–7 years
This is not based on infrastructure. It is driven by decision ambiguity and rule rediscovery across change volume.
Why It Matters
Is architecture in your enterprise guiding real-time decisions —or are decisions being reconstructed each time change occurs?
The Architecture Reality Test™ makes that visible within ninety minutes.
