Two kinds of change
A case owner corrects a booking reference. Later, several teams disagree about when a case counts as resolved. The first may be handled within an agreed rule; the second calls for a decision about the rule itself.
A record lifecycle describes what happens to a record: creation, use, correction, sharing and eventual retirement. An architecture cycle is the work of examining a question, agreeing a decision, checking it and learning from use. That work may change many records or the rules applied to them.
Process areas
Visioning, Transforming, Operating and Governing are the continuing process areas in A Simple Architectural Framework (ASAF). They can overlap within a service review or delivery increment. A cycle may revisit one question or connect several areas; its scope and trigger determine who needs to take part.
| ASAF process area | Work and decision | What can reopen it? | Retained information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visioning | Agree the information the service needs, its meaning and responsible owners. | A new use or conflicting interpretation reopens a definition. | Definitions, relationships, business rules and open questions. |
| Transforming | Change forms, messages, mappings or storage and check that meaning survives. | Conversion or validation reveals an ambiguous or lost fact. | Mapping versions, checks, acceptance and support notes. |
| Operating | Maintain records, check quality and handle correction, sharing and retirement. | An error, quality finding or new use needs a response. | Corrections, affected copies, observations and proposed changes. |
| Governing | Approve shared meanings, access and retention responsibilities and exceptions. | A local correction would change a shared rule or authorised use. | Decision owners, agreed definitions, retention choices and reasons. |
The diagram below shows how findings can return to the appropriate decision. Agreed meanings and relationships remain available between increments.
A record through use
For the proposed internal trial, a cancellation case begins open with a named owner. It becomes awaiting confirmation when the learner accepts a specific alternative, and resolved when that resolution is confirmed. An exception requiring wider authority is escalated, with ownership retained.
An owner transfer becomes effective when the receiving person accepts it. A correction records what changed and why. If it invalidates the current agreement or confirmation, the case returns to the appropriate active state.
The service owner must also agree access and retention: who needs the record, what should remain after resolution, when review is due, and how retirement covers working copies and derived records. The example leaves the retention period open for that decision.
A change of representation
Moving the shared register into booking software should preserve case identity, current ownership, agreement links and history. The field names or storage layout may change. Record the mapping, its inputs and version, check representative cases and name who accepts it. This includes mappings or definitions proposed with artificial intelligence (AI). Resolve uncertain meaning before accepting the change. The accepted definitions and history provide the starting point for the next review.
Layered data
The medallion example follows received data through validation to a report. A failed check may need a source correction or a transformation fix. A disagreement about what the report means returns to the service owner. Retain the accepted definitions, versions and checks as the affected data is processed again.
Data governance follows quality issues, access reviews and changes of use through these process areas.
Methodology configuration
Map these cycles to the activities and reviews in your own methodology. A single service review may consider definition changes, trial acceptance and quality findings. Use your own names for those steps and retain who decides and what information passes between them.
See Methodology configuration, the worked case and the change record.
Dials
| Dial | Choice to examine |
|---|---|
| Cadence | Frequent quality checks expose mistakes sooner and take staff time. |
| Batch size | One cancellation path is easier to inspect; a wider batch may reveal shared definitions earlier. |
| Coordination | Shared fields need the people who produce and use them at the review. |
| Decision authority | Case corrections can stay local; changes to business meaning return to the service owner. |
| Automation and checking | Automated format checks help with routine errors; agreement still needs checking against its source. |
| Learning reach | A faulty value may need one correction; a faulty definition may affect every consumer. |
These choices can be applied to a staged delivery, an incremental approach or frequent iterations. Match the scope and feedback to the actual work.