The work described across this site can be applied in different ways depending on context, maturity, and need. Rather than offering fixed packages or prescriptive services, engagements are shaped around the type of support required and the level at which decisions are being made.
This page outlines the most common engagement types and how they typically operate.
These engagements focus on understanding the problem space before significant commitment is made.
They are often used when:
The emphasis is on clarifying intent, surfacing assumptions, identifying constraints, and determining where architectural judgement is most needed.
Some discovery engagements lead directly into longer work. Others deliberately conclude once clarity has been achieved.
These engagements support systems that are already in motion and require ongoing coherence as they evolve.
They are typically appropriate when:
The role here is to maintain architectural direction, revisit earlier decisions as assumptions change, and provide continuity across delivery phases, teams, and vendors.
This work often runs alongside delivery without becoming embedded within it.
These engagements provide independent judgement where complexity, risk, or uncertainty is high.
They are commonly used when:
In this context, the focus is on assessment, challenge, and guidance rather than execution. Independence ensures that advice remains objective and that decision-making responsibility stays with the organisation.
These engagements focus on ensuring that systems can adapt as conditions change.
They are most relevant when:
The emphasis is on design decisions that preserve optionality, clarify boundaries, and allow systems to grow without destabilisation.
These engagement types are not mutually exclusive.
In practice, work often begins with problem framing, continues through architectural stewardship, and is supported by independent technical authority at key decision points.
The combination and duration depend on context rather than preference. Some engagements are brief and targeted. Others are deliberately long-running to provide continuity.
Choosing the right engagement type is itself a framing exercise.
In some cases, the most valuable outcome is proceeding with confidence. In others, it is reshaping an initiative or deciding not to proceed at all.
The aim across all engagement types is the same. To ensure that technical decisions are made deliberately, responsibly, and in service of long-term outcomes.