Third in a series of white papers exploring the role of judgment in Enterprise Architecture.

Architecture and design are decision-centric, human processes that apply human values to information within the context of defined objectives. Rational and intuitive decisions are made constantly by individuals and groups. Author Sir Geoffrey Vickers proposes that as part of an overall Appreciative System, there are three distinct types of decision-making – Reality judgment, Value judgment and Instrumental judgment.

This white paper is the third in a series that explores the role of judgment in Enterprise Architecture. In particular, it focuses on the relationship between the Enterprise Architect, the information and the personal qualities that enable successful execution of that role. The title is taken from a seminal book by Sir Geoffrey Vickers - The Art of Judgment which focuses on the types of judgment involved in perceiving the environment and decision making in the shaping of policy.

In this paper Ceri Williams focuses on Instrumental Judgment. He considers the decisions we make in closing the gap between what is, and what ought to be.