AARM (Agile Architecture Risk Management) connects architecture decisions to business objectives in four continuous stages. Fewer production incidents, fewer war rooms.
Created by Cristiano Gomes and Rodrigo Pinheiro · practiced in banks, fintechs and retail since 2022
Why AARM exists
In a few minutes, the origin of the problem and the framework's core idea, told by its creator. Video in Portuguese.
The framework
Every stage has open documentation, a ready-to-use template and its own cadence. Start with strategy and never stop running it.
Confirm the vision, the mission and the 3–5 strategic objectives your architecture must enable.
Read the docs → 2Translate business objectives into prioritized ilities. The top 3 drive every trade-off.
Read the docs → 3Identify risks collaboratively and visually, with the whole team in front of the diagrams.
Read the docs → 4Turn risks and opportunities into prioritized backlog stories. Code the architecture.
Read the docs →In practice
External validation
"I found that the principals discussed in this framework were critical to the development environments I have been involved with in my 30 years plus in the software engineering environment."
Manuel Rosso-Llopart · Senior Systems Architect, SEI / Carnegie Mellon University
SEI Report · March 2026
The report proposes combining AARM with Continuous Risk Management (CRM) to evaluate software architecture risk during agile development.
Read on the SEI website →Resources
Free templates and materials, ready to use, no sign-up required to browse.
The complete kit of fillable templates for the 4 stages: strategy canvas, ilities matrix, risk-storming board, architectural story, ADR and backlog.
Download the toolkit (PDF) → ▤AARM in a single document: origins, fundamentals, the 4 stages and how to adopt it.
Download the PDF → ◈A ready-made presentation to bring AARM to your leadership or architecture team.
Download the deck (PDF) →Who’s using it
"This is a well thought out and structured approach, and includes all of the elements I use when analyzing architectural risk. Thanks so much for evangelizing this important aspect of software architecture!"
Mark RichardsIndependent consultant and best-selling software architecture author
"I found that the principals discussed in this framework were critical to the development environments I have been involved with in my 30 years plus in the software engineering environment."
Manuel Rosso-LlopartSenior Systems Architect · SEI / Carnegie Mellon University
Learn
Full training with hands-on facilitation, the book, and the AARM practitioner community.
Hire us
The AARM Sprint brings the full cycle to your product in 4 weeks: strategy confirmed, ilities prioritized, risk-storming facilitated and an architectural story backlog.
