Arckit Agile Strategy

You are helping an enterprise architect create an Agile Strategy Canvas using Open Agile Architecture (O-AA, C208) — Ch. 11 Agile Strategy. This approach focuses on dual transformation — modernizing legacy systems while simultaneously building new product capabilities — using agile strategy canvases that drive backlog-driven delivery.

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

Trigger Guidance

Use this command when any of the following conditions are met:

• Client is pursuing dual transformation (legacy modernization + greenfield innovation simultaneously)

• Strategy needs to be backlog-driven rather than a static document on a shelf

• Client wants to map strategy to product outcomes rather than project deliverables

• Agile strategy canvas format preferred over traditional strategic plans (1-2 pages vs. 50+ pages)

• Client needs to sequence transformation waves while keeping legacy systems operational

Do NOT use when:

• Purely defensive transformation (no innovation component) — use $arckit-transition-architecture instead

• Client requires a traditional multi-year strategic plan with 200+ page deliverables

• Single-product scope (use $arckit-product-architecture instead)

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.

RECOMMENDED (read if available, note if missing):

• PRIN (Architecture Principles, in 000-global) — Extract: Strategic principles, technology direction, investment priorities

  • If missing: warn user to run $arckit-principles first

• OAAL (O-AA ADM Lite) — Extract: Sprint plan, vision, scope, success criteria

  • If missing: note that O-AA Lite context is not available

• OAPR (Agile Product Architecture) — Extract: Product mission, outcomes, guardrails

  • If missing: note that product architecture context is limited

• TRANS (Transition Architecture) — Extract: Legacy systems, migration constraints, transition waves

  • If missing: note that transition context is limited

• BPCM (Business Capability Map) — Extract: Current capabilities, target capabilities, gap areas

  • If missing: note that capability context is limited

Prerequisites 1b: Read external documents and policies

• Read any external documents listed in the project context (external/ files) — extract strategic plans, transformation charters, business cases, investment proposals

• Read any enterprise standards in projects/000-global/external/ — extract technology refresh policies, innovation frameworks, dual transformation methodologies

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
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/agile-strategy-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/agile-strategy-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.

• Also apply the O-AA placeholder substitutions in .arckit/references/placeholder-substitutions.md (${project_issue_prefix}, ${safety_checklist_id}, ${references_dir}) wherever they appear in the template.

Tip: Users can customise templates with $arckit-customize agile-strategy

3. O-AA Agile Strategy Framework

O-AA agile strategy practice (C208 Ch. 11) establishes that:

• Dual transformation: Simultaneously run legacy modernization (defend) and greenfield innovation (attack) tracks

• Strategy canvas: Condense strategy into 1-2 pages — not a 50-page document nobody reads

• Backlog-driven strategy: Strategy items enter the product backlog as epics/features, not a separate workstream

• Outcome-measured: Strategy success measured by product outcomes (value, adoption, experience), not project milestones

• O-AA Axiom 5 (Value Stream Alignment): strategy maps to value streams, so strategy and architecture stay in one system rather than splitting into two artefacts

4. Shared Artefact Definitions

The agile strategy canvas command defines artefacts whose structure is inlined in agile-strategy-template.md:

• strategy-canvas.yaml — the 1-2 page strategy canvas (segments, value proposition, channels, key activities, key resources, partnerships, cost)

• vision.yaml — architecture vision constraints inherited from O-AA Lite or ADM Preliminary ($arckit-oaa-adm-lite, $arckit-adm-preliminary)

• implementation-strategy.yaml — transformation waves and sequencing (consistent with $arckit-transition-architecture)

5. Generate Agile Strategy Canvas Document

Create the Agile Strategy Canvas document following the template structure.

Document Control

• Generate Document ID with node scripts/generate-document-id.mjs {P} OASTR --filename (canonical form: ARC-{P}-OASTR-v1.0)

• Set owner, dates, status, classification

• Review cycle: Per sprint cycle (align with O-AA sprint cadence)

Dual Transformation Canvas

• Defend track: Legacy modernization initiatives with clear outcomes

  • Legacy inventory with modernization priority (keep/modify/replace/retire)

  • Risk assessment for legacy dependencies

  • Minimal viable modernization per sprint

• Attack track: Greenfield innovation initiatives

  • New product capabilities with outcome targets

  • Innovation backlog items with architecture considerations

  • Experimentation framework with fast failure thresholds

Strategy Canvas (1-2 Pages)

• Customer segments: Who are we serving and what do they value?

• Value proposition: What outcome does the product deliver?

• Channels: How does value reach the customer?

• Revenue/impact model: How is value measured and captured?

• Key activities: What must we do to deliver?

• Key resources: What capabilities and platforms do we need?

• Key partnerships: What external dependencies exist?

• Cost structure: What is the investment profile?

Transformation Sequencing

• Wave 1: Quick wins with high impact, low complexity

• Wave 2: Core capability modernization

• Wave 3: Platform foundations for future innovation

• Dependencies between defend and attack tracks

Strategy-to-Backlog Mapping

• Strategy epics → Features → Stories with architecture considerations

• Architecture guardrails per epic

• O-AA published-axiom compliance per feature (cite number + name)

6. External References

Populate the ## External References section per .arckit/references/citation-instructions.md. Every claim taken from an external/ document, a projects/000-global/external/ policy, or a web source MUST carry an inline [DOC_ID-CN] citation marker resolving to a Document Register row. The Open Group Open Agile Architecture standard (C208) MUST appear in the Document Register with its primary URL and the verification date.

7. Quality Gate

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

8. Write the Document

IMPORTANT: The Agile Strategy Canvas document will be a substantial document (typically 180-300 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}-OASTR-v1.0.md

9. Show Summary to User

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

## Agile Strategy Canvas Created

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

### Dual Transformation Profile
- **Defend track**: [N] legacy modernization initiatives

- **Attack track**: [N] greenfield innovation initiatives

- **Transformation waves**: [N] waves sequenced

### Strategy Canvas Highlights
| Dimension | Summary |
|-----------|---------|
| Customer segments | [Brief] |
| Value proposition | [Brief] |
| Key activities | [Brief] |
| Key resources | [Brief] |

### Sprint Artifacts
- ✅ strategy-canvas.yaml

- ✅ vision.yaml (from O-AA Lite or ADM Preliminary)

### Synthesised From
- [✅/⚠️] Architecture Principles: ARC-000-PRIN-v[N].md

- [✅/⚠️] O-AA ADM Lite: ARC-{P}-OAAL-v[N].md

- [✅/⚠️] Product Architecture: ARC-{P}-OAPR-v[N].md

- [✅/⚠️] Transition Architecture: ARC-{P}-TRANS-v[N].md

### Next Steps
1. Populate product backlog with strategy epics
2. Embed security into strategy rhythm: `$arckit-agile-security`
3. Establish governance cadence: `$arckit-agile-governance`
4. Begin Sprint 1: `$arckit-product-architecture`

**File location**: `projects/{P}/ARC-{P}-OASTR-v1.0.md`

Important Notes

1. Dual Transformation: O-AA Agile Strategy explicitly runs defend (legacy) and attack (innovation) tracks simultaneously. Do not sequentialize them — the value is in running them in parallel with shared backlogs.

2. Strategy Canvas is Living: The strategy canvas is not a static document. It updates each sprint cycle as outcomes are measured and the environment changes. Treat it as a backlog item, not a shelf artifact.

3. Sprint Artefacts: The strategy-canvas.yaml and vision.yaml structures are defined inline in agile-strategy-template.md. Validate artefacts against those structures; they stay consistent with the traditional TOGAF commands without sharing schema files.

4. Use Write Tool: The Agile Strategy Canvas document is typically 180-300 lines. ALWAYS use the Write tool to create it.

5. Version Management: If an Agile Strategy document already exists (ARC-*-OASTR-v*.md), create a new version (v2.0) rather than overwriting.

6. 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:

• $arckit-agile-security -- Embed security into the dual transformation strategy
• $arckit-agile-governance -- Establish governance cadence for the transformation programme