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https://projectmanagement.risa.rw/projects/risa-template-scrum/wiki/10-architecture-principles

Overview

This document provides the Rwanda Government with a set of architecture principles that will guide the decision-making around Information Management. These architecture principles were compiled by the Enterprise Architecture team within Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA).

Appropriate policies and procedures must be developed to support the implementation of the principles. They were chosen so as to ensure the alignment of IT strategies with business strategies and visions. The development of these architecture principles was influenced by the following:

• Enterprise Vision and Plans: The vision, plans, and organizational structure of the government
• Government Strategic Initiatives: The characteristics of the government - its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats - and its current enterprise-wide initiatives (such as Open Data, Command Centre, and Rwanda Online)
• Current Systems and Technology: The set of information resources deployed within the government
• Computer Industry Trends: Consideration regarding the usage, availability, and cost of computer and communication technologies along with associated best practices presented in use

Applying Architecture Principles

Architecture principles are used to capture the fundamental truths about how the Rwanda Government will use and deploy information technology resources and assets. The principles are used in a number of different ways:

• To provide a framework within which the government can start to make conscious decisions about IT
• As a guide to establishing relevant evaluation criteria, thus exerting a strong influence on the selection of products or product architectures in the later stages of managing compliance to the Enterprise Architecture.
• As drivers for defining the functional requirements of the architecture.
• As an input to assessing both existing IS/IT systems and the future strategic portfolio, for compliance with the defined architectures. These assessments will provide valuable insights into the transition activities needed to implement the architecture, in support of business goals and priorities.
• The Rationale statements highlight the value of the architecture to the enterprise and therefore provide a basis for justifying architecture activities.
• The Implications statements provide an outline of the key tasks, resources, and potential costs to the enterprise of following the principle. They also provide valuable inputs to future transition initiatives and planning activities.
• Support the architectural governance activities in terms of:
  • Providing a 'back-stop' for the standard compliance assessments where some interpretation is allowed or required
  • Supporting the decision to initiate a dispensation request where the implications of a particular architecture amendment cannot be resolved within local operating procedure

Principles are interrelated and need to be applied as a set.

Principles will sometimes compete: for example, the principles of "accessibility" and "security" tend towards conflicting decisions. Each principle must be considered in the context of "all other things being equal".

At times a decision will be required as to which principle will take precedence on a particular issue. The rationale for such decisions should always be documented.

Although specific penalties are not prescribed in a declaration of principles, violations of principles generally cause operational problems and inhibit the ability of the government to fulfill its mission.