The quantitative outcome of architectural and design related efforts is often regarded as a notoriously difficult task. The challenge of business benefit quantification in the software environment is also emphasized when medium to longer term impacts need to be assessed. The fuzzy nature of architecture level principles, the lack of relevant measures and overall traceability of architecture and design efforts through to implementation also limits the ability to quantify benefits over time. It is within this context that a team of architects and consultants set out to build a business case for a Technology Strategy articulated in the form of an enterprise-wide conceptual level application architecture. The initiative was aimed specifically at the re-launch of a predefined architecture and gain commitment for future investment (based on the condition that significant benefit could be shown). The strategy in its basic form was dominated by Service-Oriented Architectural principles and contained a reference framework for business services that would need to be developed, exposed or orchestrated in each architectural domain to renew existing core functionality and provide future business capabilities. The architectural approach defined by the technology strategy was also augmented with several key strategic IT decisions that would guide technology solution development and acquisition for the next three to five years. The decisions were articulated in the form of principles that would complement the technical goals set forth by the technology strategy.

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