Current Architecture Assessment Process

This skill guides the current architecture assessment process, ensuring systematic evaluation of existing systems and identification of improvement opportunities.

When to Invoke

• User needs to assess existing system architecture
• User wants to identify technical debts
• User needs to analyze gaps between current and target architecture
• User wants to create an improvement roadmap
• User asks for architecture assessment documentation

Process Overview

The current architecture assessment consists of 5 main phases:

1. Current Architecture Inventory
2. Technical Debt Identification
3. Architecture Gap Analysis
4. Improvement Roadmap Development
5. Review and Confirmation

Phase 1: Current Architecture Inventory

Step 1.1: System Inventory

Activities:

1. Identify all relevant systems
2. Collect basic system information:
   • System name and vendor
   • Go-live date and version
   • User scale
   • Deployment method
3. Create system architecture overview diagram

Output:

• System basic information table
• System architecture overview diagram

Step 1.2: Technology Stack Analysis

Activities:

1. Analyze each system's technology stack:
   • Frontend technology (framework, version)
   • Backend technology (language, framework, version)
   • Database (type, version)
   • Middleware (cache, message queue, etc.)
2. Assess technology stack modernization
3. Identify technical risks

Output:

• Technology stack matrix
• Technical risk assessment

Step 1.3: Integration Relationship Analysis

Activities:

1. Identify inter-system integration relationships
2. Analyze integration methods:
   • Interface protocols (REST/SOAP/RFC, etc.)
   • Data formats (JSON/XML, etc.)
   • Call frequency
3. Create system integration relationship diagram

Output:

• System integration relationship diagram
• Interface inventory table

Phase 2: Technical Debt Identification

Step 2.1: Technical Debt Inventory

Activities:

1. Identify types of technical debt:
   • Outdated technology stack
   • Legacy architecture patterns
   • Code quality issues
   • Lack of automation
   • Missing documentation
2. Compile technical debt inventory

Output:

• Technical debt inventory

Step 2.2: Debt Impact Assessment

Activities:

1. Assess impact of each debt:
   • Business impact
   • Technical impact
   • Security risks
   • Maintenance costs
2. Quantify debt costs

Output:

• Technical debt impact assessment table

Step 2.3: Priority Ranking

Activities:

1. Use priority matrix:
   • High impact + High urgency = Immediate action
   • High impact + Low urgency = Priority planning
   • Low impact + High urgency = Continuous improvement
   • Low impact + Low urgency = Consider as appropriate
2. Determine debt handling priority

Output:

• Technical debt priority matrix
• Debt handling plan

Phase 3: Architecture Gap Analysis

Step 3.1: Target Architecture Definition

Activities:

1. Define target architecture blueprint
2. Clarify target architecture capabilities:
   • Unified authentication
   • Permission management
   • Organizational structure
   • System integration
   • Technical architecture
3. Establish target architecture metrics

Output:

• Target architecture blueprint
• Target architecture capability list

Step 3.2: Gap Identification

Activities:

1. Compare current and target architecture
2. Identify gap dimensions:
   • Identity authentication and authorization
   • Organizational structure management
   • Permission management
   • System integration capability
   • Technical architecture
   • Data architecture
   • Security architecture
3. Compile gap analysis matrix

Output:

• Architecture gap analysis matrix
• Detailed gap description

Step 3.3: Impact Assessment

Activities:

1. Assess business impact of gaps
2. Assess technical impact of gaps
3. Analyze improvement urgency

Output:

• Gap impact assessment report

Phase 4: Improvement Roadmap Development

Step 4.1: Improvement Plan Design

Activities:

1. Design improvement plan
2. Divide implementation phases
3. Establish phase objectives

Output:

• Improvement plan document

Step 4.2: Timeline Planning

Activities:

1. Create project timeline
2. Identify key milestones
3. Identify dependencies

Output:

• Improvement roadmap (Gantt chart)

Step 4.3: Investment Estimation

Activities:

1. Estimate labor costs
2. Estimate hardware and software procurement
3. Estimate external services
4. Calculate ROI

Output:

• Investment estimation table
• ROI analysis

Phase 5: Review and Confirmation

Step 5.1: Document Review

Activities:

1. Organize review meeting
2. Review document completeness
3. Confirm analysis accuracy
4. Discuss improvement plan

Output:

• Review comments
• Review record

Step 5.2: Sign-off Confirmation

Activities:

1. Stakeholder sign-off
2. Archive assessment documents
3. Publish assessment results

Output:

• Sign-off confirmation page
• Published assessment report

Document Templates

Current Architecture Inventory Document Structure

1. Overview
   1.1 Purpose
   1.2 Scope
   1.3 Method

2. Current System Architecture Overview
   2.1 System Architecture Panorama
   2.2 Inter-system Interaction Relationships

3. Detailed Architecture of Each System
   3.1 [System Name]
       3.1.1 Basic Information
       3.1.2 Technology Stack
       3.1.3 Core Function Modules
       3.1.4 Integration Interfaces
       3.1.5 Technical Debt

4. Technical Debt Summary
   4.1 Technical Debt Matrix
   4.2 Technical Debt Priority

5. Data Status Analysis
   5.1 Data Distribution
   5.2 Data Silo Issues

6. Infrastructure Status
   6.1 Server Resources
   6.2 Network Architecture

7. Security Status
   7.1 Security Measures
   7.2 Security Risks

8. Summary and Recommendations

9. Appendix

Architecture Gap Analysis Document Structure

1. Overview
   1.1 Purpose
   1.2 Scope
   1.3 Analysis Method

2. Target Architecture Definition
   2.1 Target Architecture Blueprint
   2.2 Target Architecture Capability Requirements

3. Gap Analysis Matrix
   3.1 Architecture Dimension Gap Overview
   3.2 Detailed Gap Analysis

4. Gap Impact Assessment
   4.1 Business Impact
   4.2 Technical Impact

5. Improvement Roadmap
   5.1 Improvement Priority
   5.2 Phase Objectives

6. Risk Assessment
   6.1 Improvement Risks
   6.2 Risk Response Strategies

7. Investment Estimation
   7.1 Investment Categories
   7.2 Investment Returns

8. Summary and Recommendations

9. Appendix

Quality Standards

Current Architecture Inventory Quality Standards

Check Item	Quality Requirement	Check Method
System Coverage	All relevant systems inventoried	Check against system list
Information Completeness	Technology stack, functions, interfaces complete	Document review
Diagram Clarity	Architecture diagrams clear and readable	Visual inspection
Debt Identification	Technical debts comprehensively identified	Team review

Architecture Gap Analysis Quality Standards

Check Item	Quality Requirement	Check Method
Clear Objectives	Target architecture clearly defined	Document review
Comprehensive Gaps	Gaps identified in all dimensions	Check against checklist
Deep Analysis	Gap root causes analyzed	Expert review
Feasible Plan	Improvement plan practical	Feasibility assessment

Best Practices

Current Architecture Inventory

1. Thorough Research: Deep communication with system owners and operations staff
2. Document Verification: Verify accuracy and timeliness of system documents
3. Tool Assistance: Use architecture visualization tools for diagrams
4. Regular Updates: Update inventory when systems change

Architecture Gap Analysis

1. Objective Assessment: Avoid subjective assumptions, base on facts
2. Quantified Analysis: Quantify gap impact and costs where possible
3. Multi-party Participation: Involve business, technical, and operations teams
4. Continuous Tracking: Regularly review gap analysis and track improvement progress

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Description	Avoidance Method
Incomplete Information	Missing key systems or information	Use standardized checklist
Surface Analysis	Only describe status without deep analysis	Ask "why" more often
Vague Objectives	Target architecture not clearly defined	Reference industry best practices
Radical Plan	Improvement plan too aggressive	Phased implementation, gradual improvement
Ignoring Costs	Not fully considering improvement costs	Detailed investment estimation

Reference Documents

• Architecture Design Checklist
• Requirement Mapping Analysis Process Standard
• Technology Selection Process Standard