Definition
A rationale articulates describes the strategic reasoning for an behind a proposed 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.Info
To do
Link Rationales to structured benefits provides a traceable link between a business decision and the motivation behind it—such as addressing a performance issue, fulfilling stakeholder expectations, responding to regulatory changes, or seizing market opportunities. Rationales help ensure that every action taken by the organisation is grounded in strategic intent.Usage in business architecture
In the Orthogramic Metamodel, rationales serve to:
Justify why an initiative, policy, or change exists.
Link strategic drivers to responses in a structured way.
Support transparency and traceability from high-level drivers to operational change.
Rationales may be connected to multiple elements across the business architecture, including:
Initiatives and Strategies that require justification.
Policies, Capabilities, and Value Streams being introduced or adjusted.
Performance goals or KPIs in the Performance domain
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Implementation suggestion
You may also allow multiple driver types per rationale using an array if needed.
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.
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ID
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Relationship to strategic response model
Each rationale is categorised by a Driver Type, which is derived from the Strategic Response Model. This provides a consistent basis for understanding and classifying business responses across the organisation.
The Strategic Response Model defines the following categories of drivers:
Driver Type | Description | Common Triggers | Example |
|---|
Rationales | Related Domains |
|---|
driver_regulatory_change
Regulatory change | Changes |
in legal or regulatory |
requirements | New legislation |
, audits | Align with |
safety standards; |
address compliance risks |
Policy, Initiatives, Capabilities, Performance |
driver_customer_demand_shift
Customer demand shift |
Shifting customer expectations |
or behaviours | Feedback, usage patterns | Improve onboarding |
; redesign mobile services | Strategy, ValueStream, Capabilities, Stakeholders |
Operational risk |
Threats to continuity |
or operational efficiency |
System failure |
, safety incidents | Enhance cyber resilience; strengthen recovery plans | Capabilities, Performance, Information, Organisation |
Technology obsolescence | Legacy |
or unsupported systems impacting operations | End-of-life |
systems, innovation lag | Modernise tech stack; enable data interoperability | Information, Capabilities, Initiatives |
Cost pressure |
The need to reduce costs, improve financial sustainability, or realign spend with value delivery.
Budget constraints; Cost benchmarking; Unplanned overruns
Financial constraints requiring efficiency or cost optimisation | Budget cuts, benchmarking | Consolidate platforms; automate manual processes | Performance, Capabilities, Initiatives, Organisation |
Workforce change |
Shifts in skills availability, employment models, or workforce expectations affecting operations.
Talent shortage; Attrition; Hybrid work trends
Evolving workforce dynamics | Hybrid work, attrition | Reskill staff; adapt HR policies | Organisation, Policy, Capabilities |
driver_stakeholder_expectation
Stakeholder expectation |
Pressure or |
Board directive; Community concern; ESG reporting pressure
concern from internal or external stakeholders | Board expectations, ESG concerns | Increase transparency; implement ethical compliance | Stakeholders, Policy, Performance |
driver_market_opportunity
Market opportunity |
New market trends |
New channel demand; Market entry opportunity; Competitor gap
or emerging business opportunities | Competitor gap, new segment demand | Launch services; localise products | 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
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Implementation guidance
Classification: Each rationale must include a driver type. Multiple drivers may be selected if appropriate.
Traceability: Rationales should link to the relevant strategy, initiative, or performance goal.
Consistency: Use the Strategic Response Model trigger catalogue to guide classification.
Related pages
Inter-unit domain relationships: Clarify that rationales can help explain why inter-unit dependencies exist or are being adjusted.
Strategic Response Model: Ensure the trigger catalogue is up to date and explicitly referenced in this page to support rationale classification.
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Let me know if you’d like a downloadable copy of the full DriverType reference artefact or any content converted into JSON, YAML, or Markdown formats for system integration.