Architecture review boards
On this page 9 topics
Overview
Topics
- Governance
- compliance checks
- design exceptions
Learn first
2.5 h of practice (estimate)
Learning outcomes
- Prepare a solution for an architecture review board (ARB) submission.
- Demonstrate compliance with architecture principles and standards.
- Request and justify design exceptions with mitigations and expiry dates.
- Act on ARB conditions and track them to closure.
Lessons
Lab and exercises
Lab
ARC-035-LAB1 · ARB submission
Outcomes: 1–4 · Time: ~2.5 h
- Draft the submission: the decision asked, context, options considered, recommended solution, and risks.
- Pre-wire at least two role-played board members and record their concerns.
- Build the compliance table against the provided principles and standards with evidence links.
- Write one exception request with mitigation, owner, and expiry.
- Present to the role-played ARB and respond to the conditions raised.
- Create the condition tracker with owners, dates, and closure evidence.
Acceptance: approval or conditional approval with a closure plan.
Exercises (case-based; five exercises)
| ID | Outcome | Task |
|---|---|---|
| ARC-035-EX01 | 1 | Larkspur's board meets monthly and the pre-read deadline is five days before. Create a timeline from today to a decision and list who you pre-wire and why. |
| ARC-035-EX02 | 2 | Review a compliance table that is all green with no evidence. Rewrite three lines honestly with status and evidence. |
| ARC-035-EX03 | 3 | Write an exception for using a file-transfer interface with ERP when the standard requires APIs; include risk, mitigation, owner, and expiry. |
| ARC-035-EX04 | 3 | The board rejects an exception request with no expiry date. Explain why and repair the request. |
| ARC-035-EX05 | 4 | The board approves with three conditions. Build a tracker, assign owners, and write the status report you will send in six weeks. |
Show solutions
- EX01 Work backwards: decision date, pre-read five days earlier, pre-wiring in the two weeks before, draft earlier still; pre-wire security (data classification), infrastructure (hosting), and data (retention), each with their likely concern.
- EX02 Example: "API-first integration: compliant with condition, order posting uses APIs, ERP stock feed uses file transfer, see ADR-004"; each line has a design element and an evidence link.
- EX03 Standard: API-first; reason: ERP cannot expose APIs before its upgrade; risk: delayed and unauthenticated data; mitigation: encrypted transfer, reconciliation job, alert on missing files; owner: integration lead; expiry: ERP upgrade milestone, with re-review date.
- EX04 Without expiry the exception becomes permanent and the risk is never revisited; add an expiry date or trigger and a review owner.
- EX05 Tracker columns: condition, owner, due date, evidence, status; report lists closed, in progress, and at-risk items with the plan for each.
All four outcomes are also covered by the lab acceptance and the quiz.
Workplace evidence: a solution you took through formal architecture governance.
Quiz
Outcomes: O1 prepare a submission · O2 demonstrate compliance · O3 exceptions with mitigation and expiry · O4 conditions to closure.
A self-check for you: nothing is graded, saved or sent anywhere. Choose an answer, then check it. You can try again as often as you like.
Practical part
ARB simulation on the Larkspur lab: submission, one exception, role-played board challenges, and a condition tracker. Pass: quiz at least 8/10, at least four of five exercises correct, and a simulation ending in approval or conditional approval with a closure plan.
Common mistakes
Surprising the board; exceptions without expiry; ignoring conditions after approval.
Assessment
ARB simulation.
Workplace evidence
A solution you took through formal architecture governance.
Career relevance
Governance is a routine part of enterprise architecture work.