Systems Architecture Studies
A systems architecture study begins with the estate as it truly is, not as the last diagram described it. We inventory every application, integration, data store and hosting location, then trace the actual flows between them using logs, configuration and conversations with the people who operate the systems each day. The gap between the documented architecture and the working one is usually where the most expensive problems hide.
Once the picture is assembled we assess each component against the business capability it supports and score it for criticality, fragility and cost of ownership. Structural weaknesses are separated from cosmetic ones, and each finding is tied to observable evidence. The study concludes with a target architecture described in plain terms, a set of prioritised recommendations and an explicit list of what should be deliberately left unchanged. Deliverables include a component map, an interface register, a debt register and a decision log that can be handed to any delivery team.