BMAD-METHOD/bmad-agent/tasks/enterprise-architecture-assessment-task.md

Enterprise Architecture Assessment Task

Task Overview

The Enterprise Architecture Assessment task provides a comprehensive evaluation of an existing architecture against enterprise standards, identifying architectural debt, modernization opportunities, and alignment with business strategy. This task helps organizations understand their current architectural state and plan for future improvements.

Task Execution Process

Phase 1: Architecture Discovery

1. Current State Documentation

   • Gather existing architecture documentation
   • Identify key systems and components
   • Document technology stack and frameworks
   • Map system interactions and dependencies

2. Stakeholder Interviews

   • Identify key stakeholders across business and IT
   • Conduct interviews to understand pain points and requirements
   • Document business drivers and strategic objectives
   • Capture future state vision and expectations

3. Architecture Inventory

   • Catalog applications and services
   • Document infrastructure components
   • Identify integration points and data flows
   • Map business capabilities to technical components

Phase 2: Enterprise Standards Analysis

1. Standards Identification

   • Document applicable enterprise architecture standards
   • Identify industry best practices and frameworks
   • Determine regulatory and compliance requirements
   • Establish evaluation criteria based on standards

2. Gap Analysis

   • Compare current architecture to enterprise standards
   • Identify compliance gaps and deviations
   • Assess technical debt and obsolescence
   • Evaluate scalability and performance against requirements

3. Risk Assessment

   • Identify architectural risks and vulnerabilities
   • Assess impact of non-compliance with standards
   • Evaluate technical sustainability and supportability
   • Document security and resilience concerns

Phase 3: Strategic Alignment Evaluation

1. Business-IT Alignment

   • Map architecture components to business capabilities
   • Assess how architecture supports business objectives
   • Identify misalignments between IT and business strategy
   • Evaluate architecture's ability to support future business needs

2. Technology Roadmap Analysis

   • Compare architecture to technology roadmap
   • Identify technology gaps and obsolescence risks
   • Assess alignment with industry trends and innovations
   • Evaluate vendor strategy and product lifecycle alignment

3. Cost-Value Assessment

   • Analyze total cost of ownership for current architecture
   • Identify cost optimization opportunities
   • Assess business value delivery of current architecture
   • Evaluate ROI of potential architectural improvements

Phase 4: Recommendations Development

1. Improvement Opportunities

   • Identify quick wins and immediate improvements
   • Document long-term architectural transformation needs
   • Prioritize recommendations based on business impact
   • Develop remediation approaches for identified gaps

2. Target Architecture Vision

   • Create high-level target architecture
   • Define architectural principles and guidelines
   • Establish transition architecture stages
   • Document reference architectures and patterns

3. Implementation Roadmap

   • Develop phased implementation approach
   • Create timeline for architectural improvements
   • Identify dependencies and prerequisites
   • Define success metrics and outcomes

Inputs

1. Existing Documentation

   • Current architecture documentation
   • System and application inventories
   • Integration diagrams and API documentation
   • Infrastructure and deployment documentation

2. Enterprise Standards

   • Enterprise architecture principles and standards
   • Technology standards and approved products
   • Compliance and regulatory requirements
   • Security and data governance policies

3. Business Context

   • Business strategy and objectives
   • Capability models and business processes
   • Growth projections and scaling requirements
   • Digital transformation initiatives

Outputs

1. Architecture Assessment Report

   • Executive summary of findings
   • Detailed gap analysis against standards
   • Risk assessment and mitigation recommendations
   • Compliance evaluation and remediation plan

2. Architecture Improvement Roadmap

   • Prioritized improvement recommendations
   • Implementation timeline and approach
   • Resource requirements and dependencies
   • Success metrics and expected outcomes

3. Target Architecture Vision

   • Future state architecture diagrams
   • Architecture principles and guidelines
   • Reference architectures and patterns
   • Technology recommendations and standards

Quality Criteria

The Enterprise Architecture Assessment task is considered complete and successful when:

1. Comprehensive Coverage

   • All key systems and components are evaluated
   • All applicable enterprise standards are considered
   • All business drivers and objectives are addressed
   • All architectural domains are assessed

2. Actionable Recommendations

   • Recommendations are specific and implementable
   • Recommendations are prioritized by business impact
   • Recommendations include resource and cost considerations
   • Recommendations address both short and long-term needs

3. Strategic Alignment

   • Assessment connects architecture to business strategy
   • Recommendations support business objectives
   • Future state vision aligns with strategic direction
   • Implementation roadmap supports business timeline

4. Stakeholder Acceptance

   • Key stakeholders validate the assessment findings
   • Business and IT leadership approve recommendations
   • Implementation approach has stakeholder buy-in
   • Success metrics are agreed upon by stakeholders

Integration Points

The Enterprise Architecture Assessment task integrates with:

1. Other BMAD Personas

   • Architect: Provides solution-level input and validation
   • Product Owner: Ensures business requirements alignment
   • Security Integration Specialist: Validates security architecture
   • Performance Optimization Specialist: Validates scalability approach

2. BMAD Tasks

   • Create Architecture: Informs solution architecture development
   • Create Infrastructure Architecture: Guides infrastructure decisions
   • Validate Infrastructure: Ensures compliance with assessment
   • Create Frontend Architecture: Aligns with enterprise standards

3. External Processes

   • Strategic planning and budgeting
   • Technology roadmap development
   • Portfolio management and project prioritization
   • Vendor management and procurement