Trigger

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: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/286228485

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

Linking to Rationales

Triggers can lead to multiple Rationales. Each Rationale references the originating trigger and justifies a different response path. This many-to-one structure allows a single trigger to influence several domains.

See https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/291242002 for reference cases.

Trigger JSON Schema

See: https://github.com/Orthogramic/Orthogramic_Metamodel

Schema properties

Field	Description	Example
`triggerID`	A unique identifier for the trigger.	`EXT-REG-001`
`triggerTitle`	A short title describing the nature of the trigger.	`New Regulatory Mandate`
`triggerType`	The classification of the trigger (e.g., External, Internal, Performance-Based).	`External`
`triggerDescription`	A detailed explanation of the trigger's context and implications.	`Mandate issued by the national regulator requiring compliance.`
`triggerDate`	The date when the trigger was identified or became effective.	`2025-04-19`
`associatedRationaleIDs`	List of rationale identifiers linked to this trigger.	`["RAT-STR-005", "RAT-STR-006"]`
`sourceReference`	Reference to the source document or authority of the trigger.	`https://regulator.gov/mandate2025`

This schema allows organizations to systematically capture and manage triggers that necessitate strategic responses, ensuring traceability and alignment across the enterprise architecture.