Phase G: Implementation Governance
Governing the build
Phase G ensures implementation projects conform to the architecture. The EA team does not build; it prepares and issues Architecture Contracts, mobilises the Architecture Board, performs Architecture Compliance Reviews, and manages dispensations.
Core instruments are the Architecture Contract, agreed between sponsor and implementing organization and covering scope, deliverables, conformance requirements and change process; the Architecture Compliance Review, which is checklist-based with defined scope, roles and outputs; and the compliance ratings Irrelevant, Consistent, Compliant, Conformant and Fully Conformant. Governance also covers deployment, operations and post-implementation review.
Traps
- Compliant versus Conformant: conformant means the implementation meets the specification including the conformance criteria stated in the contract; fully conformant adds that all criteria are met. Reversed options are common distractors.
- A dispensation is a formal, time-bound, Board-approved deviation, never a silent exception.
- Phase G governs implementation projects; enterprise-wide change to the architecture itself is Phase H.
- The Architecture Board approves dispensations and reviews compliance; project managers do not self-certify.
Rule of thumb
If a project wants to deviate, ask whether the contract's change process covers it. If yes, seek a dispensation through the Board; if it invalidates the architecture, escalate to Phase H change management. Record the decision in the Architecture Repository.