Arckit Roadmap

You are helping an enterprise architect create a strategic architecture roadmap for a multi-year initiative. The roadmap shows the evolution from current state to future state across multiple themes, timelines, and governance cycles.

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

Prerequisites: Read existing artifacts from the project context

MANDATORY (warn if missing):

• PRIN (Architecture Principles, in projects/000-global/)
  • Extract: Technology standards, strategic direction, compliance requirements
  • If missing: STOP and ask user to run $arckit-principles first. The roadmap must align to approved principles.
• REQ (Requirements) in projects/{project-dir}/
  • Extract: Capability needs, BR/FR/NFR IDs, technology constraints
  • If missing: warn user to run $arckit-requirements first

RECOMMENDED (read if available, note if missing):

• STKE (Stakeholder Analysis) in projects/{project-dir}/
  • Extract: Business drivers, strategic goals, success metrics, investment appetite
• WARD (Wardley Map) in projects/{project-dir}/wardley-maps/
  • Extract: Technology evolution, build vs buy positioning, evolution velocity
• RISK (Risk Register) in projects/{project-dir}/
  • Extract: Strategic risks, risk appetite, mitigation timelines

OPTIONAL (read if available, skip silently if missing):

• SOBC (Business Case) in projects/{project-dir}/
  • Extract: Investment figures, ROI targets, payback period, benefits timeline

Prerequisites 4b: Read external documents and policies

• Read any external documents listed in the project context (external/ files) — extract current strategic direction, capability gaps, planned investments, dependency timelines
• Read any enterprise standards in projects/000-global/external/ — extract enterprise technology roadmaps, strategic transformation plans, cross-project capability evolution timelines
• If no external docs exist but they would improve strategic alignment, ask: "Do you have any existing strategic roadmaps, capability plans, or technology vision documents? 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

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.

1. Identify the target project

• Use the ArcKit Project Context (above) to find the project matching the user's input (by name or number)
• If no match, 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. Gather Strategic Context

Read all available documents identified in the Prerequisites section above. Use this context to inform roadmap themes, timeline, and priorities.

3. Read Roadmap Template

Load the roadmap template structure:

Read the template (with user override support):

• First, check if .arckit/templates-custom/roadmap-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/roadmap-template.md (default)
• Then read .arckit/templates/_partials/RENDERING.md and resolve the <!-- DOC-CONTROL-HEADER --> marker in the template before writing. Do not hand-write the Document Control table: the partial RENDERING.md selects is the only source of the 14 standard fields and of the classification ladder.

Tip: Users can customize templates with $arckit-customize roadmap

3b. Interactive Configuration

Before generating the roadmap, ask the user for strategic preferences. Skip any question the user has already specified in their arguments.

Gathering rules — the one-message interview in .arckit/references/interview-pattern.md:

• Prefill from the arguments and the project context; say what you inferred.
• Ask every remaining question in one call. There is no second round.
• An unanswered question takes its (Recommended) option, listed as an assumption in your closing summary. With no question tool available, take every default and never block.

Question 1 — header: Horizon, multiSelect: false

"What time horizon should the roadmap cover?"

• 3 years (Recommended): Typical for technology transformation programmes — detailed enough to be actionable, long enough for strategic value
• 2 years: Shorter horizon — suited for tactical improvements or fast-moving technology areas
• 5 years: Extended horizon — suited for major enterprise transformations, infrastructure programmes, or multi-phase migrations

Question 2 — header: Year format, multiSelect: false

"Which year notation should the roadmap use?"

• UK Financial Year (Recommended): FY 2025/26, FY 2026/27 — April to March, standard for UK Government and public sector
• Calendar Year: CY 2025, CY 2026 — January to December, standard for private sector and international

Apply the user's selections: the horizon determines the number of financial years covered, the Gantt chart duration, and the level of detail in later years (nearer years have more detail). The year notation determines all date labels, section headers, and investment tables throughout the document.

4. Generate Strategic Roadmap

Create a comprehensive multi-year architecture roadmap with the following sections:

Document Control

• Generate Document ID: ARC-[PROJECT_ID]-ROAD-v1.0 (for filename: ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-ROAD-v1.0.md)
• Set owner, dates, financial years covered
• Review cycle: Quarterly (default for roadmaps)

Executive Summary

• Strategic Vision: What transformation is being enabled? (1-2 paragraphs)
• Investment Summary: Total investment, CAPEX/OPEX split, ROI, payback period
• Expected Outcomes: 3-5 measurable business outcomes
• Timeline at a Glance: Duration, major phases, key milestones, governance gates

Strategic Context

• Vision & Strategic Drivers: Link to stakeholder drivers, architecture principles alignment
• Current State Assessment: Technology landscape, capability maturity baseline, technical debt, risk exposure
• Future State Vision: Target architecture, capability maturity targets, technology evolution (reference Wardley Maps if available)

Roadmap Timeline

• Visual Timeline: Mermaid Gantt chart showing 3-5 year timeline
  • Use financial year notation: FY 2024/25, FY 2025/26, etc. (if UK Government) OR calendar years
  • Show 4 major phases: Foundation, Migration, Transformation, Optimization
  • Include governance gates as milestones
  • IMPORTANT: Remember Mermaid gantt syntax - no <br/> tags in task names

Example Gantt structure:

gantt
    title Architecture Roadmap Timeline FY 2024/25 - FY 2027/28
    dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD

    section Foundation
    Assessment and Strategy           :done, foundation1, 2024-04-01, 90d
    Architecture Baseline            :done, foundation2, after foundation1, 60d
    Security Framework               :active, foundation3, after foundation2, 120d

    section Migration Phase
    Legacy System Analysis           :migration1, after foundation3, 90d
    Data Migration Wave 1            :migration2, after migration1, 180d
    Application Modernization Wave 1 :migration3, after migration2, 240d

    section Transformation Phase
    Cloud-Native Platform            :transform1, after migration3, 180d
    API Platform Launch              :transform2, after transform1, 120d
    DevOps Maturity                  :transform3, after transform2, 150d

    section Optimization Phase
    Performance Optimization         :optimize1, after transform3, 120d
    Scale and Resilience             :optimize2, after optimize1, 90d
    Continuous Improvement           :optimize3, after optimize2, 180d

    section Governance Gates
    Alpha Assessment                 :milestone, gate1, after foundation3, 0d
    Beta Assessment                  :milestone, gate2, after migration3, 0d
    Live Assessment                  :milestone, gate3, after transform3, 0d

• Roadmap Phases: Describe each phase with objectives, key deliverables, investment

Roadmap Themes & Initiatives

Create 3-5 strategic themes (e.g., Cloud Migration, Data Modernization, Security & Compliance, DevOps Transformation, Legacy Decommissioning)

For each theme:

• Strategic objective
• Timeline by financial year (what happens in FY 2024/25, FY 2025/26, etc.)
• Initiatives within each year
• Milestones and investment
• Success criteria

Capability Delivery Matrix

Show capability maturity progression over time using a table:

• Capability domains (Cloud Platform, API Management, Data Analytics, DevOps, Security, etc.)
• Current maturity level (L1-L5)
• Target maturity by year
• Final target maturity

Dependencies & Sequencing

Create a Mermaid flowchart showing initiative dependencies:

• IMPORTANT: Flowcharts CANNOT use <br/> in edge labels (causes parse errors)
• Use comma-separated text in edge labels instead
• Example: A -->|Requires completion, dependencies met| B

Example dependency flowchart:

flowchart TD
    A[Architecture Strategy] --> B[Cloud Platform Foundation]
    A --> C[Security Baseline]
    B --> D[IaaS Migration]
    C --> D
    D --> E[PaaS Platform]
    E --> F[Application Modernization]
    F --> G[Cloud-Native Architecture]

    A --> H[Data Strategy]
    H --> I[Data Migration]
    I --> J[Data Platform]
    J --> K[Analytics Capabilities]

    E --> L[API Platform]
    L --> F
    J --> L

Investment & Resource Planning

• Investment Summary by Financial Year: Table showing CAPEX, OPEX, total by year
• Resource Requirements: FTE needed, key roles, recruitment timeline, training budget
• Investment by Theme: Budget allocation across themes
• Cost Savings & Benefits Realization: Operational savings, efficiency gains, revenue enablement

Risks, Assumptions & Constraints

• Key Risks: Strategic risks impacting roadmap (link to risk register if available)
• Critical Assumptions: Funding, skills, vendor support, executive sponsorship
• Constraints: Budget caps, regulatory requirements, timeline mandates

Governance & Decision Gates

• Governance Structure: ARB (monthly), Programme Board (monthly), Steering Committee (quarterly)
• Review Cycles: Weekly progress, monthly ARB, quarterly business review, annual strategic review
• Service Standard Assessment Gates (if UK Government): Alpha, Beta, Live assessments with dates
• Decision Gates: Go/No-Go gates at major phase transitions

Success Metrics & KPIs

Create tables showing progression over time:

• Strategic KPIs: Cloud adoption %, technical debt reduction, security incidents, MTTR, deployment frequency
• Capability Maturity Metrics: Maturity levels by year
• Technical Metrics: API availability, page load time, IaC %, automated testing coverage
• Business Outcome Metrics: User satisfaction, cost reduction, revenue enablement, productivity gains

Traceability

Link roadmap back to source artifacts:

• Stakeholder Drivers → Roadmap Themes
• Architecture Principles → Compliance Timeline
• Requirements → Capability Delivery
• Wardley Maps → Technology Evolution
• Risk Register → Mitigation Timeline

Appendices

• Appendix A: Capability Maturity Model (L1-L5 definitions)
• Appendix B: Technology Radar (Adopt/Trial/Assess/Hold)
• Appendix C: Vendor Roadmap Alignment
• Appendix D: Compliance & Standards Roadmap

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 (not calendar years)
• Spending Review Alignment: Mention SR periods and budget cycles
• Service Standard Assessment Gates: Include Alpha, Beta, Live assessment milestones
• TCoP (Technology Code of Practice): Reference compliance with 13 points
• NCSC CAF: Include security baseline progression
• Cyber Essentials/ISO 27001: Security certification timeline
• Digital Marketplace: If procurement involved, reference G-Cloud/DOS
• Cross-Government Services: Reference GOV.UK Pay, Notify, Design System integration

6. MOD Specifics

If this is a Ministry of Defence project, include:

• JSP 440: Defence project management framework alignment
• Security Clearances: BPSS, SC, DV requirements and timeline
• IAMM (Information Assurance Maturity Model): Security maturity progression
• JSP 936: If AI/ML involved, reference AI assurance timeline

7. Load Mermaid Syntax References

Read .arckit/skills/mermaid-syntax/references/gantt.md and .arckit/skills/mermaid-syntax/references/flowchart.md for official Mermaid syntax — date formats, task statuses, node shapes, edge labels, and styling options.

8. Mermaid Diagram Syntax - CRITICAL RULES

Gantt Charts:

• ✅ Use descriptive task names without <br/> tags
• ✅ Use dateFormat: YYYY-MM-DD
• ✅ Status: done, active, crit (critical path)
• ✅ Milestones: Use milestone keyword with 0d duration

Flowcharts:

• ✅ Node labels: CAN use <br/> for multi-line: Node["Line 1<br/>Line 2"]
• ❌ Edge labels: CANNOT use <br/> (causes parse error: "Expecting 'SQE', got 'PIPE'")
• ✅ Edge labels: Use comma-separated text instead: A -->|Step 1, Step 2| B

CRITICAL - Auto-Populate Document Control Fields:

Before completing the document, populate ALL document control fields in the header:

Construct Document ID:

• Document ID: ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-ROAD-v{VERSION} (e.g., ARC-001-ROAD-v1.0)

Populate Required Fields:

Auto-populated fields (populate these automatically):

• [PROJECT_ID] → Extract from project path (e.g., "001" from "projects/001-project-name")
• [VERSION] → "1.0" (or increment if previous version exists)
• [DATE] / [YYYY-MM-DD] → Current date in YYYY-MM-DD format
• [DOCUMENT_TYPE_NAME] → "Strategic Architecture Roadmap"
• ARC-[PROJECT_ID]-ROAD-v[VERSION] → Construct using format above
• [COMMAND] → "arckit.roadmap"

User-provided fields (extract from project metadata or user input):

• [PROJECT_NAME] → Full project name from project metadata or user input
• [OWNER_NAME_AND_ROLE] → Document owner (prompt user if not in metadata)
• Classification → comes from the resolved Document Control header, not from a placeholder. _partials/RENDERING.md fixes the ladder from the artefact's own regime; ${default_classification} applies only where that regime falls through to user config.

Calculated fields:

• [YYYY-MM-DD] for Next Review Date → Current date + 30 days

Pending fields (leave as [PENDING] until manually updated):

• [REVIEWER_NAME] → [PENDING]
• [APPROVER_NAME] → [PENDING]
• [DISTRIBUTION_LIST] → Default to "Project Team, Architecture Team" or [PENDING]

Populate Revision History:

| 1.0 | {DATE} | ArcKit AI | Initial creation from `$arckit-roadmap` command | [PENDING] | [PENDING] |

Populate Generation Metadata Footer:

The footer should be populated with:

**Generated by**: ArcKit `$arckit-roadmap` command
**Generated on**: {DATE} {TIME} GMT
**ArcKit Version**: {ARCKIT_VERSION}
**Project**: {PROJECT_NAME} (Project {PROJECT_ID})
**AI Model**: [Use actual model name, e.g., "Claude Sonnet 5 (session default)"]
**Generation Context**: [Brief note about source documents used]

9. Write the Roadmap File

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

IMPORTANT: The roadmap will be a LARGE document (typically 400-600 lines). You MUST use the Write tool to create the file, NOT output the full content in chat.

Create the file at:

projects/[PROJECT_ID]/ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-ROAD-v1.0.md

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

10. Show Summary to User

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

## Strategic Architecture Roadmap Created

**Document**: `projects/[PROJECT_ID]/ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-ROAD-v1.0.md`
**Document ID**: ARC-[PROJECT_ID]-ROAD-v1.0

### Roadmap Overview
- **Timeline**: FY [START_YEAR] - FY [END_YEAR] ([N] years)
- **Total Investment**: £[AMOUNT] ([% CAPEX] / [% OPEX])
- **Financial Years Covered**: [N] years
- **Major Phases**: [N] phases

### Strategic Themes
1. **[Theme 1]**: [Brief description] - £[INVESTMENT]
2. **[Theme 2]**: [Brief description] - £[INVESTMENT]
3. **[Theme 3]**: [Brief description] - £[INVESTMENT]
[...additional themes]

### Key Milestones
- **FY [YEAR] Q[N]**: [Milestone 1]
- **FY [YEAR] Q[N]**: [Milestone 2]
- **FY [YEAR] Q[N]**: [Milestone 3]
- **FY [YEAR] Q[N]**: [Milestone 4]

### Capability Evolution
- **[Capability 1]**: L[CURRENT] → L[TARGET] by FY [YEAR]
- **[Capability 2]**: L[CURRENT] → L[TARGET] by FY [YEAR]
- **[Capability 3]**: L[CURRENT] → L[TARGET] by FY [YEAR]

### Governance Gates
- **Alpha Assessment**: FY [YEAR] Q[N]
- **Beta Assessment**: FY [YEAR] Q[N]
- **Live Assessment**: FY [YEAR] Q[N]

### Expected Outcomes
1. [Measurable outcome 1]
2. [Measurable outcome 2]
3. [Measurable outcome 3]

### Success Metrics (Year 3 Targets)
- Cloud adoption: [%]%
- Technical debt reduction: [%]%
- Security incident reduction: [%]%
- Deployment frequency: [frequency]
- Time to market: [duration]

### Next Steps
1. Review roadmap with Architecture Review Board (ARB)
2. Validate investment with Finance
3. Confirm resource availability with HR
4. Create detailed project plan for Phase 1: `$arckit-plan`
5. Prepare business case (SOBC): `$arckit-sobc`
6. Generate backlog from roadmap: `$arckit-backlog`

### Traceability
- Aligned to [N] architecture principles
- Addresses [N] stakeholder drivers
- Delivers [N] strategic capabilities
- Mitigates [N] strategic risks

**File location**: `projects/[PROJECT_ID]/ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-ROAD-v1.0.md`

Important Notes

2. Use Write Tool: The roadmap document is typically 400-600 lines. ALWAYS use the Write tool to create it. Never output the full content in chat.

3. Strategic vs Tactical:

   • Roadmap = Multi-year, multi-initiative, capability-focused, executive communication
   • Plan (arckit.plan) = Single project, detailed tasks, delivery-focused, team execution

4. Financial Years:

   • UK Government: Use "FY 2024/25" notation (April-March)
   • US/Other: Can use calendar years or fiscal years as appropriate

5. Capability Maturity: Use 5-level model (L1: Initial, L2: Repeatable, L3: Defined, L4: Managed, L5: Optimized)

6. Governance: Roadmaps require heavier governance than project plans (ARB, Programme Board, Steering Committee, Quarterly reviews)

7. Integration: Roadmap feeds into:

   • $arckit-plan - Detailed plans for each phase
   • $arckit-sobc - Business case aligned to roadmap investment
   • $arckit-backlog - User stories prioritized by roadmap timeline
   • $arckit-traceability - Full traceability matrix

8. Mermaid Diagrams: Include 2 diagrams minimum:

   • Gantt chart for timeline (shows WHEN)
   • Flowchart for dependencies (shows SEQUENCE)

9. Realistic Timelines:

   • Foundation phase: 3-6 months
   • Migration phase: 6-18 months
   • Transformation phase: 12-24 months
   • Optimization phase: 6-12 months
   • Total typical roadmap: 2-5 years

10. Investment Realism: Show investment increasing in middle years (migration/transformation), then decreasing in optimization phase

11. Traceability: Link every roadmap theme back to stakeholder drivers and architecture principles to show strategic alignment

• 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-backlog -- Generate product backlog from roadmap
• $arckit-plan -- Create detailed project plan for Phase 1