Decision Framework

5-minute decision matrix to determine if Sruja is right for your organization.

Sruja Decision Framework: Quick Reference

5-Minute Decision Matrix

Step 1: Problem Fit (2 minutes)

Do you have these problems?

Problem	Yes/No	Priority
Architecture docs become outdated quickly	☐	High
Engineers spend too much time on documentation	☐	High
Compliance audits are risky/time-consuming	☐	High
New engineers struggle to understand architecture	☐	Medium
Architectural drift (design vs. implementation)	☐	Medium
Need to enforce service boundaries	☐	Medium

Decision: If 3+ “Yes” with High priority → Proceed to Step 2

Step 2: Value Quick Check (2 minutes)

Note: Sruja is free and open source. This calculates value and time savings, not purchase cost.

Quick Value Calculator:

Time Savings = (Engineers × Hours/Week × 0.7) × 50 weeks × $100/hour
Onboarding Savings = (New Engineers/Year × 2 weeks × 0.5) × $150k/year ÷ 50
Risk Reduction = Compliance Failures Avoided × $100k

Total Value = Time Savings + Onboarding + Risk Reduction

Example (10 senior engineers, 20 new engineers/year):

Time: 10 × 4 hours × 0.7 × 50 × $100 = $140k/year
Onboarding: 20 × 2 × 0.5 × $150k ÷ 50 = $60k/year
Risk: 1 failure avoided = $100k (one-time)
Total Value: $200k+ per year

Decision: If value > $100k/year → Proceed to Step 3 (Since Sruja is free, ROI is essentially infinite)

Step 3: Technical Fit (1 minute)

Check your stack:

Technology	Needed?	Sruja Status
Git/GitHub/GitLab	☐	✅ Available
CI/CD Pipeline	☐	✅ Available
Terraform/OpenTofu	☐	🚧 Roadmap (Phase 2)
Kubernetes/Istio	☐	🚧 Roadmap (Phase 3)
Compliance (HIPAA/SOC2)	☐	✅ Available

Decision:

If Git + CI/CD available → Ready now
If need Terraform/Istio → On roadmap - you can pilot with current features now

Decision Tree

START: Do you have architecture documentation challenges?
│
├─ NO → Sruja may not be needed
│
    └─ YES → Calculate Value
    │
    ├─ Value < $50k/year → Consider pilot only
    │
    └─ Value > $50k/year → Check technical fit
        │
        ├─ Git/CI/CD available? → YES → Proceed with pilot
        │
        └─ NO → Wait for team maturity or use basic features

Go/No-Go Checklist

Must-Have (All Required)

Problem exists: 3+ problems from Step 1
Value positive: > $50k/year in time savings (or equivalent)
Git available: Version control in place
Team ready: Comfortable with code-based tools
Time allocated: Team can invest time in adoption (no budget needed - Sruja is free)

Nice-to-Have (Optional)

Compliance requirements (HIPAA, SOC2, PCI-DSS)
Large team (50+ engineers)
Microservices architecture
Advanced features needed (Terraform, Istio)

Decision Rule:

✅ All Must-Haves → GO (Proceed with pilot)
⚠️ 3-4 Must-Haves → MAYBE (Consider pilot)
❌ < 3 Must-Haves → NO-GO (Reassess later)

Evaluation Timeline

Option A: Quick Evaluation (1-2 weeks)

Day 1: Try Sruja Designer online
Week 1: Install CLI, model one system
Week 2: Integrate validation into CI/CD
Decision: Go/No-Go for pilot

Option B: Full Evaluation (1 month)

Week 1: Discovery and self-assessment
Week 2: Proof of concept (model 2 systems)
Week 3: Measure value and team feedback
Week 4: Decision and planning

Risk Assessment

Low Risk Scenarios ✅

Small team (< 20 engineers)
Git/CI/CD already in place
Team comfortable with code-based tools
Clear value (> $100k/year in time savings)

Medium Risk Scenarios ⚠️

Large team (100+ engineers) → Need change management
No CI/CD → Need to set up first
Team resistant to new tools → Need training/support
Value borderline ($50-100k/year) → Need careful measurement

High Risk Scenarios ❌

No version control → Not ready for Sruja
Team not technical → May need training first
Value negative (no time savings) → May not be worth adoption effort
No leadership support → Will fail

Common Decision Points

”Should we pilot or go full rollout?”

Pilot if:

Team size > 50 engineers
Uncertain about value/time savings
Need to prove value first
Want to minimize adoption risk

Full rollout if:

Small team (< 20 engineers)
Clear value (> $200k/year in time savings)
Strong leadership support
Urgent compliance needs

”Should we wait for roadmap features?”

Start now if:

Core features (validation, CI/CD) meet your needs
You can add advanced features later
You want to influence roadmap

Wait if:

You absolutely need Terraform/Istio integration (on roadmap)
No immediate pain points
Team not ready for adoption

Quick Reference: Key Metrics

Metric	Target	How to Measure
Documentation time	-70%	Track hours/week
Onboarding time	-50%	Track weeks to productivity
Architecture freshness	> 95% current	Review update frequency
Compliance violations	0	Track audit findings
Architectural issues	-90%	Track production issues

Next Steps

If GO Decision:

Week 1: Install and try Sruja
Week 2-4: Proof of concept
Month 2-3: Pilot program
Month 4+: Full rollout

If NO-GO Decision:

Reassess in 6 months: Team maturity may change
Monitor roadmap: Advanced features may address needs
Consider alternatives: May have different requirements

If MAYBE Decision:

Start small: Model one system
Measure results: Track time savings
Re-evaluate: After 1-2 months

Adoption Guide: Complete Adoption Guide
Executive Overview: Executive Overview
Getting Started: Getting Started Guide
Adoption Playbook: Adoption Playbook

Getting Help with Implementation

Open Source Community: Sruja is free and open source (Apache 2.0 licensed). Join the community on GitHub Discussions for support, questions, and contributions.

Professional Services: Need help with adoption, integration, or custom requirements? Professional consulting services are available to help organizations:

Implement Sruja across teams and systems
Establish architectural governance practices
Integrate with existing CI/CD and infrastructure toolchains
Develop custom validators and exporters
Plan migration from existing documentation tools

Contact the team through GitHub Discussions to discuss your needs.

Future Platform Vision

Sruja is designed to evolve into a comprehensive platform for architectural governance:

Live System Review: Compare actual runtime behavior against architectural models to detect drift and violations.
Gap Analysis: Automatically identify missing components, undocumented dependencies, and architectural gaps.
Continuous Validation: Monitor production systems against architectural policies and constraints in real-time.
Compliance Monitoring: Track and report on architectural compliance across services and deployments.

These capabilities are planned for future releases. The current open source foundation provides the building blocks for this evolution.

Note: Sruja is free and open source - no purchase required. This framework helps you evaluate whether Sruja is the right fit for your organization.

Use this framework to make an informed decision in 5 minutes.