ADR-005: Architectural Governance with CALM

Status: Accepted Version: 1.0 Date: 2025-10-01 Supersedes: N/A Related ADRs: N/A Related PRDs: PRD-004, PRD-005

Context

The need for formal architectural definition, validation, and continuous compliance across the evolving SEA™.

Decision

Incorporate the FINOS Common Architecture Language Model (CALM) for architectural definition and governance.

Rationale

CALM provides a standardized, machine-readable way to describe architectural components (nodes) and their interactions (relationships), along with associated controls. This enables automated architectural validation, versioning, and ensures adherence to design principles and regulatory requirements.

Alternatives Considered

Informal Documentation

Rejected - Lack of traceability, consistency, and automation capabilities.

Proprietary Architectural Modeling Tools

Rejected - Vendor lock-in and lack of open standards.

Constraints

• MUST use CALM for architectural definition and governance
• MUST enable automated architectural validation
• MUST support versioning of architectural artifacts
• MUST NOT use proprietary architectural modeling tools

Quality Attributes

• Enhanced architectural consistency
• Automated compliance checks
• Improved communication of architectural decisions
• Better security and risk management

Bounded Contexts Impacted

• Architectural Governance
• SEA™ Platform Core
• Developer Tooling

Consequences

Positive

• Enhanced architectural consistency
• Automated compliance checks
• Improved communication of architectural decisions
• Better security and risk management

Negative

• Requires integration of CALM tooling
• Potential learning curve for architects and developers

Additional Notes

✅ MVP