Triggers

Triggers initiate the Strategic Response Model by representing a change in context, observation, or external condition that warrants attention. Each Trigger may lead to one or more Rationales, each providing a specific justification for change. Triggers ensure that organisational decisions are not made in a vacuum, but are grounded in evidence or obligation.See: Strategic Response Model

A trigger is defined as a catalyst event—internal or external—that compels an organisation to adapt. It is not a standalone structural element but a contextual stimulus that prompts changes to strategy, activates capabilities, or demands cross-functional coordination. Triggers may include legislative changes, customer demands, or performance breaches.

A Trigger is not a standalone structural element of an organisation but an external or internal event, condition, or hypothesis that causes the organisation to:

• Mobilise capabilities,

• Evaluate policies,

• Adjust strategies,

• Initiate new initiatives,

• Coordinate across services and information flows.

In the Orthogramic Metamodel:

• Trigger is a supporting artifact, not a domain.

• It is only relevant in the context of a strategicResponseModel.

Trigger Catalogue

Triggers are classified using the Trigger Catalogue, which defines accepted types of triggers.

The trigger catalogue provides a curated and expanding set of predefined triggers that can be used to initiate strategic responses. Each trigger is tagged to relevant business architecture domains, enabling efficient strategic response planning and alignment across organisational activities.

Each strategic response triggered using this catalogue links back to relevant Orthogramic Metamodel domains—such as capabilities, services, initiatives, and stakeholders—to produce a dynamic view of organisational readiness and response.

Common Trigger Catalogue types include:

• Regulatory: New or updated legislation or compliance obligations.

• Performance Insight: Metrics indicating deviation from expected outcomes.

• Risk: Identified operational, financial, or strategic risks.

• Opportunity: Market, partnership, or innovation opportunities.

• Mandate: Governmental or internal directives.

• Stakeholder Need: Explicit demand from a stakeholder or stakeholder group.

Each trigger includes:

• triggerID: Unique identifier

• title: Human-readable label

• description: Detailed summary

• triggerType: From the Trigger Catalogue

• dateDetected: Date the trigger was recognised

Trigger JSON Schema

{
"$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
"$id": "https://orthogramic.org/schema/trigger.json",
"title": "trigger",
"type": "object",
"required": ["triggerID", "label", "category"],
"properties": {
"triggerID": {
"type": "string",
"format": "uuid",
"description": "Unique identifier for the trigger"
},
"label": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Short, human-readable name of the trigger"
},
"category": {
"type": "string",
"enum": [
"Regulatory or compliance",
"Technological change",
"Environmental & safety",
"Operational transformation",
"Strategic re-alignment",
"Customer & stakeholder",
"Workforce & skills",
"Performance response",
"Political or social",
"Innovation-led opportunity"
],
"description": "Classification of trigger context"
},
"description": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Expanded explanation of the trigger’s relevance"
},
"examplestrategicResponseModels": {
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "string",
"format": "uuid"
},
"description": "Optional references to related strategicResponseModel artefacts"
}
}
}