Architecture analysis techniques and related tools allow IT architects to evaluate a design relative to alternatives, describe the structure and state of a design and analyze the design’s dynamic behavior in response to external events
Architecture Design is the planning function between strategy formulation and implementation. To be effective, the right architecture capabilities have to be built and integrated with key decision–making activities across the enterprise in support of clearly defined business outcomes.
This includes :
With the current infrastructure, assessment helps to identify where re-architecting can improve business costs, improve business functionality or process and improve IT efficiency (e.g., reduce IT costs, eliminate duplication).
A desire to improve a specific business process or support a major business change (e.g., a new market or service).
Reorganization.
An existing commitment to revise part of the current architecture for a major project.
The assessment results provide a clear benchmark against which to evaluate proposed IT changes (e.g., if you're considering CRM, a new database, or a new platform component, an assessment identifies how the change will "fit" into the existing infrastructure).
The assessment may highlight or identify major "fix" projects and impacts. Your organization may still decide to fix a "piece" of the infrastructure (e.g., consolidate a couple of databases) even though they don't want to do a wholesale re-architecture.