“Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.”
– Jochen Zeitz, CEO, Harley-Davidson
How Do Principles Get Used in Sustainability
Sustainability principles guide behavior, choices, and trade-offs across architecture work. They ensure that objectives aren’t isolated, but reinforced by repeatable, agreed-upon values and constraints. For example, a principle like “minimize ecological impact across all digital infrastructure” can shape everything from data center selection to software design.
Principles help turn objectives into practice. They support:
- Decision consistency across teams
- Governance alignment and review
- Early detection of risks and misalignment
- Continuous architectural learning
Principle Approach
Principles and Objectives
A sustainable objective is a clearly defined architectural aim that aligns long-term stakeholder value with environmental, social, and economic responsibility. In BTABoK, sustainable objectives ensure that architectural work is directed toward outcomes that endure and adapt over time. These objectives are not just project milestones—they are statements of purpose that reflect shared, systemic goals.
Sustainable objectives are designed to:
- Integrate with enterprise values and strategy
- Provide continuity across projects and portfolios
- Support ethical and responsible decision-making
- Enable measurement and adaptation over time
Ensure there is stakeholder motivation
Sustainable principles are only effective if they resonate with stakeholder values. This means involving stakeholders early in the formulation of principles, especially those from governance, finance, operations, and community impact areas. When stakeholders co-own the principles, they are more likely to fund, support, and apply them.
Key techniques include:
- Value modeling to expose shared sustainability goals
- Stakeholder mapping to identify diverse perspectives
- Risk analysis for resistance and fatigue
- Workshops to define cross-domain principles collaboratively
Principle Examples
Sustainable Data Principles
The first of many submissions for example principles. ***New
Ensure alignment with value outcomes
A principle must tie clearly to outcomes valued by the enterprise and its ecosystem. Examples include:
- Architectures must support zero-waste delivery across digital channels
- All solutions will be assessed against a five-year sustainability ROI horizon
- Architectural decisions must prioritize equitable access for all users
These principles reinforce sustainable objectives by embedding them into the logic of design and governance.
Examples, Techniques, Linked Practices
Setting strong sustainable principles involves structure and intentionality. Useful techniques include:
- BTABoK Canvases – Use sustainability canvases (e.g. Environmental, Financial Resilience, Social Responsibility) to expose areas where principles are needed.
- SWAT, PESTLE, Ecosystem Canvases
- Maturity Mapping – Apply maturity levels to evaluate whether principles are applied inconsistently (level 1) or systemically (level 5).
- Iasa BTABoK Maturity Model
- Principle Cards or Registries – Maintain a visible, reviewed set of principles linked to architectural outcomes.
- Principle Cards and Architecture Repository
- Feedback Loops – Regularly review and revise principles based on impact, evidence, and organizational learning.
- Governance, Architecture Analysis, Decision Records
References and further reading
- Iasa Global: Business Technology Architecture Body of Knowledge (BTABoK)
- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- IEEE: Ethically Aligned Design
- The Natural Step Framework
- Donella Meadows: Leverage Points – Places to Intervene in a System