Justification (shared concept)
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Definition
A rationale articulates the strategic reasoning for an initiative or business response. It connects the proposed action to strategic objectives, performance gaps, stakeholder needs, regulatory pressures, or other motivators. In structured business architecture, it supports traceability between intent and action.
1. JSON Schema Update: Initiative
Add the following to the Initiative schema:
"justification": { "type": "string", "description": "Explanation of why the initiative is required, referencing business drivers, strategic goals, capability gaps, stakeholder needs, or regulatory obligations." }
Suggested location:
Under top-level metadata (e.g., after objectives or alignmentToStrategy if present).
2. JSON Schema Update: StrategicResponseModel
Add the following to the Strategic Response Model schema:
Suggested location:
After triggerId or responseId, depending on schema structure.
3. Optional enhancements
To further standardise justifications across artefacts, you may wish to eventually:
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Introduce a Justification artefact or sub-element (for reuse or linking)
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Tag justifications with driver types (e.g. regulatory, strategic alignment, cost pressure)
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To do
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Yes, absolutely — using the Strategic Response Model (SRM) trigger catalogue items as the initial set of driver types for justifications is both practical and conceptually aligned with the Orthogramic Metamodel.
✅ Why this makes sense:
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SRM triggers already represent events, pressures, or stimuli that initiate change or adaptation.
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This approach ensures semantic consistency across the metamodel and enables automated traceability between justifications, responses, and outcomes.
Implementation suggestion
Step 1: Define a controlled vocabulary
Use your existing SRM trigger catalogue as an enumeration list of driverType values for justificationsrationales. For example:
"driverType": {
"type": "string",
"enum": [
"Regulatory change",
"Customer demand shift",
"Operational risk",
"Technology obsolescence",
"Performance shortfall",
"Cost pressure",
"Workforce change",
"Stakeholder expectation",
"Market opportunity"
],
"description": "High-level driver category that provides the basis for the justificationrationale."
}
You may also allow multiple driver types per justification rationale using an array if needed.
Step 2: Embed in relevant artefacts
In Initiative schema:
"driverType": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Primary driver for this initiative, based on the SRM trigger catalogue." }, "justificationrationale": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Narrative explanation referencing this driver and the rationale for the initiative."
}
In Strategic Response schema:
"triggerId": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Reference to the specific trigger prompting this response." },
"driverType": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Generalised driver category derived from the SRM trigger catalogue."
},
"justificationrationale": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Explanation of why this response is necessary in light of the identified trigger."
}
Optional enhancements
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Create a DriverType reference artefact that maps each driver type to its definition, common use cases, and example triggers.
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Enable filters or dashboards across initiatives and responses grouped by driver type.
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DriverType Catalogue
Here is the full DriverType Catalogue based on the Strategic Response Model trigger categories, including descriptions, common triggers, example rationales, and related domains. You can now use this as a reference artefact in the Orthogramic Metamodel to guide the classification and traceability of rationales across initiatives and strategic responses. Let me know if you'd like this exported to JSON, Markdown, or directly formatted for your documentation site.
ID | Name | Description | Common Triggers | Example rationales | Related Domains |
driver_regulatory_change | Regulatory change | Changes to legal or regulatory frameworks requiring compliance or adaptation by the organisation. | New legislation; Updated industry standards; Audit findings | Align with amended safety standards; Address compliance risks; Implement reporting controls | Policy, Initiatives, Capabilities, Performance |
driver_customer_demand_shift | Customer demand shift | A significant change in customer expectations, preferences, or behaviour requiring the business to adapt. | Customer satisfaction drop; Segment growth; Service feedback | Improve onboarding experience; Expand service access; Redesign product for mobile use | Strategy, ValueStream, Capabilities, Stakeholders |
driver_operational_risk | Operational risk | Risks to continuity, safety, or operational efficiency arising from internal or external threats. | System failure; Safety incidents; High-risk audit | Mitigate process bottlenecks; Strengthen disaster recovery; Enhance cyber resilience | Capabilities, Performance, Information, Organisation |
driver_technology_obsolescence | Technology obsolescence | Legacy systems, unsupported platforms, or outdated tools that impair innovation or introduce operational risk. | End-of-life notices; Platform incompatibility; Innovation gap | Decommission unsupported system; Modernise digital stack; Enable data interoperability | Information, Capabilities, Initiatives |
driver_cost_pressure | Cost pressure | The need to reduce costs, improve financial sustainability, or realign spend with value delivery. | Budget constraints; Cost benchmarking; Unplanned overruns | Consolidate platforms to reduce spend; Eliminate low-value activities; Automate manual processes | Performance, Capabilities, Initiatives, Organisation |
driver_workforce_change | Workforce change | Shifts in skills availability, employment models, or workforce expectations affecting operations. | Talent shortage; Attrition; Hybrid work trends | Reskill internal teams; Adapt policy for hybrid roles; Realign roles to capabilities | Organisation, Policy, Capabilities |
driver_stakeholder_expectation | Stakeholder expectation | Increased scrutiny or changing expectations from regulators, shareholders, boards, or community groups. | Board directive; Community concern; ESG reporting pressure | Improve transparency; Implement ethics compliance; Address ESG gaps | Stakeholders, Policy, Performance |
driver_market_opportunity | Market opportunity | Emerging market trends, partnerships, or demand signals that indicate a strategic growth opportunity. | New channel demand; Market entry opportunity; Competitor gap | Launch new service; Localise product for new market; Accelerate go-to-market plans | Strategy, ValueStream, Capabilities, Initiatives |
DriverType reference artefact (JSON schema)
A draft of a structured DriverType reference artefact based on the Strategic Response Model trigger catalogue, formatted to integrate seamlessly into the Orthogramic Metamodel. It includes:
A unique ID
Name
Description
Common triggers
Example rationales
Related domains
{ "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema", "title": "DriverType", "description": "Defines a high-level driver category used to justify strategic responses and initiatives.", "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string", "description": "Unique identifier for the driver type." }, "name": { "type": "string", "description": "Short label for the driver type (e.g., 'Regulatory change')." }, "description": { "type": "string", "description": "Narrative explanation of the driver and its organisational implications." }, "commonTriggers": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Representative triggers from the Strategic Response Model catalogue that fall under this driver type." }, "examplerationales": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Sample rationales that might be used in initiatives or responses associated with this driver type." }, "relatedDomains": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string", "enum": [ "Strategy", "Capabilities", "ValueStream", "Organisation", "Initiatives", "Information", "Stakeholders", "Policy", "Performance" ] }, "description": "Business architecture domains likely to be involved in modelling a response to this driver." } }, "required": ["id", "name", "description"]}