# 3.2.4 Architecting principle, ISO 42024 ## Published contents Contents1 Scope2 Normative references3 Terms and definitions4 Architecture concepts4.1 Overview4.2 Architecture and architecting4.3 Architecture design and solution design4.4 Architecture definition and communication4.5 Stakeholder concerns and architectural aspects4.6 Architecture viewpoints and architecture views4.7 Architecture frameworks and architecture description languages4.8 Architecture descriptions and architecture models4.9 Reference architectures and reference models4.10 Life cycle and life history4.11 Architecting precepts5 Architecting principles5.1 Introduction to the principles5.2 Principles about the purpose of an architecture5.3 Principles about the focus of an architecture5.4 Principles about architecting outcomesTerms 3.2 Architecting concepts 3.2.1 Architecture3.2.2 Architecture feature3.2.3 Architecting3.2.4 Architecting principle3.2.5 Architecture principle3.2.6 Architecture framework3.2.7 Reference architecture3.3 Entity related concepts 3.3.1 Entity of interest3.3.2 Solution entity3.3.3 Environment3.3.4 Context3.3.5 Enterprise3.3.6 System3.3.7 Aspect3.3.8 Dimension3.4 Architecture design concepts 3.4.1 Design (noun)3.4.2 Architecture design3.4.3 Architecture information package3.4.4 Engineering effort3.4.5 Solution design3.4.6 Solution information package3.4.7 Stakeholder3.4.8 Stakeholder perspective3.4.9 Concern3.5 Architecture description concepts 3.5.1 Architecture description3.5.2 Solution description3.5.3 Architecture view3.5.4 Architecture viewpoint3.5.5 Model3.5.6 Metamodel3.5.7 Reference model3.6 Entity life cycle concepts 3.6.1 Life cycle3.6.2 Life cycle phase3.6.3 Life cycle stage3.6.4 Life historyAnnexes A.1 Architecture design and solution related entitiesA.2 Architecture expressed as a set of modelsA.3 Life cycle and life history conceptsA.4 Enterprise and system conceptsA.5 Duality of architectural decomposition and architectural synthesisB.1 BackgroundB.2 Aligning architecture in designB.3 Duality of architectureB.4 Pursuit of opportunities Home / Glossary Architecting concepts · 3.2.4 # Architecting principle A fundamental belief, norm, rule or value that governs or guides the architecting effort itself, and that holds whatever entity is being architected and whatever technique is used. - definition - Term - ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024 - Last updated: 2026-10-21 ## What this term settles This is a principle about how the work is done, not about the thing being built. It is the difference between "we decide in the open" and "the platform is cloud first". The first guides the effort; the second guides the architecture. Mixing the two in one list is common and makes both weaker, because the audience and the review cycle are different. ## What to do in your practice Split the firm principle list into two registers. The architecting principles cover how decisions are made, who is consulted, how evidence is kept and how exceptions are handled. Give each a test that a reviewer can apply. Keep the list short enough to be remembered, and review it with the practice, not with the delivery programme. ## Who it binds The role that owns the practice area the term governs. A definition binds nobody on its own; it binds the reader who adopts the term in a method, a description or a contract. ## Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for - The architecting principle register, with a test per principle. Shows the practice has stated how it works, in a form a reviewer can apply. - A sample of decisions that cite the principle they followed. Demonstrates the principles are used rather than framed. - The exception route and who may approve one. An auditor asks what happens when the principle cannot be followed. - The review minutes where the principles were last changed. Shows the register is governed. Ask your teamWhich principle guided the last architecture decision, and can the team name it without opening a document? ## Common gaps this page catches - The principle list mixes statements about the work with statements about the technology. - No principle has a test, so two reviewers can reach opposite conclusions from the same list. - The list was written by one person and has never been reviewed by the practice. ## What to prepare before publication Take the current principle list and mark each line as effort or architecture. Move the effort lines into their own register and write a one sentence test for each. Anything that cannot be tested is a value statement and should be labelled as one. ## Common questions What does Architecting principle mean in ISO 42024? A fundamental belief, norm, rule or value that governs or guides the architecting effort itself, and that holds whatever entity is being architected and whatever technique is used. What evidence should we keep for 3.2.4? The architecting principle register, with a test per principle. A sample of decisions that cite the principle they followed. The exception route and who may approve one. ## Related units - 3.2.5 - 3.2.3 Source. ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024, Clause 3.2.4, Terms and definitions. Open the official record. Retrieved 21 October 2026. https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso-iec-ieee:42024:dis:ed-1:v1:en ISO catalogue record 87510, the status, stage and page count. Claim level: definition. The definition is in the public preview. This page states it in our own words and does not reproduce the text. Last updated: 2026-10-21 · Markdown version · Check your practice Source: https://iso-42024-revision-checker.theartofservice.com/glossary/architecting-principle/