arckit-adm-preliminary

name	arckit-adm-preliminary
description	Set ADM scope, architecture vision, drivers, constraints, and success criteria

You are helping an enterprise architect create an Architecture Vision document for the Preliminary phase of the TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM). This document defines the scope, drivers, constraints, and success criteria that will guide all subsequent ADM phases.

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

Prerequisites: Read Foundational Artifacts

Note: Before generating, scan projects/ for existing project directories. For each project, list all ARC-*.md artifacts, check external/ for reference documents, and check 000-global/ for cross-project policies. If no external docs exist but they would improve output, ask the user.

MANDATORY (warn if missing):

• PRIN (Architecture Principles, in 000-global) — Extract: Guiding principles, decision framework, technology standards
  • If missing: STOP and ask user to run /skill:arckit-principles first. The Preliminary ADM must be grounded in architecture principles.

RECOMMENDED (read if available, note if missing):

• STKE (Stakeholder Analysis) — Extract: Stakeholder drivers, goals, measurable outcomes, conflicts, engagement strategies
• STRAT (Architecture Strategy) — Extract: Strategic vision, investment envelope, strategic themes, high-level direction

Prerequisites 1b: Read external documents and policies

• Read any external documents listed in the project context (external/ files) — extract existing vision documents, strategic plans, enterprise architecture mandates
• Read any enterprise standards in projects/000-global/external/ — extract architecture vision statements, enterprise transformation plans, cross-project alignment documents
• If no external vision docs found but they would improve the output, ask: "Do you have any existing vision documents, architecture mandates, or transformation charters? I can read PDFs and images directly. Place them in projects/{project-dir}/external/ and re-run, or skip."
• Citation traceability: When referencing content from external documents, follow the citation instructions in .arckit/references/citation-instructions.md. Place inline citation markers (e.g., [PP-C1]) next to findings informed by source documents and populate the "External References" section in the template.

Instructions

1. Identify or Create Project

Identify the target project from the hook context. If the user specifies a project that doesn't exist yet, create a new project:

1. Use Glob to list projects/*/ directories and find the highest NNN-* number (or start at 001 if none exist)
2. Calculate the next number (zero-padded to 3 digits, e.g., 002)
3. Slugify the project name (lowercase, replace non-alphanumeric with hyphens, trim)
4. Use the Write tool to create projects/{NNN}-{slug}/README.md with the project name, ID, and date — the Write tool will create all parent directories automatically
5. Also create projects/{NNN}-{slug}/external/README.md with a note to place external reference documents here
6. Set PROJECT_ID = the 3-digit number, PROJECT_PATH = the new directory path

2. Read Template

Read the template (with user override support):

• First, check if .arckit/templates-custom/adm-preliminary-template.md exists in the project root
• If found: Read the user's customized template (user override takes precedence)
• If not found: Read .arckit/templates/adm-preliminary-template.md (default)
• Then, read .arckit/templates/_partials/RENDERING.md and resolve the template's <!-- DOC-CONTROL-HEADER --> marker to the Document Control partial it selects, applying the ${organisation_name} and ${default_classification} substitutions. Remove the marker and its comment from the output — a rendered artefact must never contain either.

Tip: Users can customise templates with /skill:arckit-customize adm-preliminary

3. Clarify Scope with User

Before generating the document, ask the user about the scope of this ADM engagement:

direct user question: "What is the scope of this ADM engagement?"

• Options: Enterprise-wide | Business Unit | Project-specific
• Default: Business Unit

4. Generate Architecture Vision Document

Create the Architecture Vision document following the template structure. Populate all sections with content derived from the available artifacts.

Document Control

• Generate Document ID: ARC-{P}-ADMP-v1.0 (for filename: ARC-{P}-ADMP-v1.0.md)
• Set owner, dates, status, classification
• Review cycle: Monthly during active ADM cycle

Architecture Vision

• 2-3 paragraph narrative articulating the transformation vision
• Ground the vision in principles from PRIN
• Reference stakeholder drivers from STKE
• If STRAT is available, align with strategic themes

Scope Boundaries

• In scope: Capabilities, systems, business areas within the ADM engagement scope
• Out of scope: Explicitly excluded areas — be specific to prevent scope creep

Drivers

• Strategic drivers: Business outcomes and strategic imperatives (from STKE)
• Operational drivers: Day-to-day operational needs and pain points
• Compliance drivers: Regulatory and governance requirements
• Technology drivers: Technology landscape changes and modernisation needs
• Minimum 3 drivers across all categories

Constraints

• Budget: Financial envelope and limitations
• Timeline: Deadlines and time-based constraints
• Regulatory: Compliance and legal constraints
• Technical: Technical limitations and dependencies
• Minimum 2 constraints

Resources

• Team: Key roles and people involved
• Budget: Budget envelope for the engagement
• Tools: Key tools and platforms to be used

Success Criteria

• Define measurable outcomes with specific metrics and targets
• Minimum 3 success criteria
• Each criterion should have a measurable metric and target value

High-Level Architecture Landscape

• Include a Mermaid C4 Context diagram showing the target architecture at a high level
• Show key systems, stakeholders, and integration points
• Keep it conceptual — detailed diagrams come in later phases

Stakeholder Map

• Populated from STKE if available
• Include stakeholder name, role, interest, influence level, and engagement strategy
• If STKE is not available, create placeholder rows and note that detailed stakeholder analysis is needed

ADM Scope Note

• Indicate which ADM phases are in scope for this engagement
• All phases are in scope by default for a full ADM cycle
• Mark phases with notes on inclusions/exclusions

Traceability

• Link to PRIN (architecture principles)
• Link to STKE (stakeholder analysis)
• Link to STRAT if available
• Show clear traceability from drivers → vision → success criteria

5. UK Government Specifics

If the user indicates this is a UK Government project, include:

• Financial Year Notation: Use "FY 2024/25", "FY 2025/26" format
• Spending Review Alignment: Reference SR periods
• GDS Service Standard: Reference Discovery/Alpha/Beta/Live phases
• TCoP (Technology Code of Practice): Reference 13 points
• NCSC CAF: Security maturity progression
• Cross-Government Services: GOV.UK Pay, Notify, Design System
• G-Cloud/DOS: Procurement alignment

6. MOD Specifics

If this is a Ministry of Defence project, include:

• JSP 440: Defence project management alignment
• Security Clearances: BPSS, SC, DV requirements
• IAMM: Security maturity progression
• JSP 936: AI assurance (if applicable)

7. Load Mermaid Syntax References

Read .arckit/skills/mermaid-syntax/references/flowchart.md for official Mermaid syntax — node shapes, edge labels, and styling options for C4 Context diagrams.

8. Quality Gate

Before writing the file, read .arckit/references/quality-checklist.md and verify all Common Checks plus the ADMP per-type checks pass. Fix any failures before proceeding.

9. Write the Vision File

IMPORTANT: The Architecture Vision document will be a substantial document (typically 200-350 lines). You MUST use the Write tool to create the file, NOT output the full content in chat.

Create the file at:

projects/{P}/ARC-{P}-ADMP-v1.0.md

Use the Write tool with the complete content following the template structure.

10. Show Summary to User

After writing the file, show a concise summary (NOT the full document):

## Architecture Vision Created

**Document**: `projects/{P}/ARC-{P}-ADMP-v1.0.md`
**Document ID**: ARC-{P}-ADMP-v1.0

### Vision Scope
- **Scope**: [Enterprise-wide / Business Unit / Project-specific]
- **In Scope**: [N] areas
- **Out of Scope**: [N] areas explicitly excluded

### Drivers & Constraints
- **Drivers**: [N] drivers identified ([strategic] strategic, [operational] operational, [compliance] compliance, [technology] technology)
- **Constraints**: [N] constraints ([budget] budget, [timeline] timeline, [regulatory] regulatory, [technical] technical)

### Success Criteria
| # | Criterion | Target |
|---|-----------|--------|
| 1 | [Criterion 1] | [Target 1] |
| 2 | [Criterion 2] | [Target 2] |
| 3 | [Criterion 3] | [Target 3] |

### ADM Scope
- **In scope phases**: [List phases marked as in scope]
- **Out of scope phases**: [List phases marked as out of scope]

### Synthesised From
- ✅ Architecture Principles: ARC-000-PRIN-v[N].md
- [✅/⚠️] Stakeholder Analysis: ARC-{P}-STKE-v[N].md
- [✅/⚠️] Architecture Strategy: ARC-{P}-STRAT-v[N].md

### Next Steps
1. Review Architecture Vision with Architecture Board / Sponsor
2. Validate scope boundaries with key stakeholders
3. Begin Phase A (Architecture Vision refinement): `/skill:arckit-business-capability-map`
4. Perform gap analysis: `/skill:arckit-gap-analysis`

### Traceability
- Aligns to [N] architecture principles
- Addresses [N] stakeholder drivers
- Defines [N] success criteria

: 

Important Notes

1. Technology-Agnostic: This document must remain technology-agnostic at this stage. Specific technology decisions belong in later ADM phases (Phases B, C, D). The Preliminary phase sets the vision, not the technical solution.

2. Traceability is Critical: Every driver, constraint, and success criterion must trace back to source documents (PRIN, STKE, STRAT). This ensures the vision is grounded in agreed artifacts, not assumptions.

3. Mandatory Prerequisites: The Preliminary ADM requires PRIN (principles) as a mandatory prerequisite. STKE and STRAT are strongly recommended but the command can proceed with warnings if missing.

4. Executive Audience: The Architecture Vision is intended for executive stakeholders and governance bodies. Use appropriate language and focus on business outcomes rather than technical details.

5. Scope Boundaries: Be explicit about what is out of scope. Ambiguous scope boundaries are the most common cause of ADM engagement failure.

6. Version Management: If an Architecture Vision already exists (ARC-*-ADMP-v*.md), create a new version (v2.0) rather than overwriting. Architecture visions should be versioned to track evolution across ADM cycles.

7. Integration with Other Commands:

   • ADMP feeds into: /skill:arckit-business-capability-map (Phase A — Business Architecture), /skill:arckit-gap-analysis (Phase E — Opportunities & Solutions)
   • ADMP is informed by: /skill:arckit-principles, /skill:arckit-stakeholders, /skill:arckit-strategy

8. TOGAF Alignment: This document maps to TOGAF ADM Preliminary Phase outputs: Architecture Principles, Architecture Repository, Architecture Capability, ADM Scope & Tailoring, and Architecture Vision.

9. Markdown escaping: When writing less-than or greater-than comparisons, always include a space after < or > (e.g., < 3 seconds, > 99.9% uptime) to prevent markdown renderers from interpreting them as HTML tags or emoji

Suggested Next Steps

After completing this command, consider running:

• /skill:arckit-business-capability-map -- Map business capabilities within the defined scope
• /skill:arckit-gap-analysis -- Perform gap analysis based on scope and vision