# Why do EA factsheets miss the How and Why?

> Canonical: https://decisionpen.com/blog/why-ea-factsheets-miss-how-and-why  
> Published: 2026-10-17 · DecisionPen · Living EA series (E3)  
> Related docs: /docs/architecture-decision-workspace, /docs/it-knowledge-continuum, /docs/beyond-traditional-ea

## Summary

Enterprise architecture factsheets usually capture the **What** (name, owner, lifecycle). Decision-makers need **How** systems behave and **Why** choices were made. That context usually lives in HLDs, notes, and people’s heads — disconnected from the repository — which is why inventories look complete while hard questions still fail.

## What problem are people actually trying to solve?

Leaders asking blast-radius or rationale questions are not asking for a factsheet row. Search and hallway language sounds like: why is our EA tool empty of useful context; where did the architecture rationale go; why do we reinvent discovery every programme.

## What do EA factsheets capture — and what do they drop?

- **What**: name, type, owner, lifecycle, thin attributes — useful for portfolio views.  
- **How** (often dropped): behaviour, integrations, constraints, failure modes.  
- **Why** (often dropped): trade-offs, rejected options, regulatory drivers, historical accidents.

## Where does the How and Why go instead?

HLDs, workshop decks, Confluence, email, transcripts, and a few senior heads. The repository can be “complete” while institutional memory lives elsewhere (“let me check with Dave”).

## What should enterprise architecture keep with each entity?

Metamodel structure plus curated evidence and rationale — an Architecture Decision Workspace, not a hollow inventory.

## How does DecisionPen solve this?

Architecture Decision Workspace: structured metamodel entities keep How/Why as bound evidence (documents, transcripts, notes). Incremental modelling proposes updates from HLDs/meetings; humans curate. Enterprise Ask answers blast-radius and rationale questions with citations from the living map — not thin factsheet rows. Trial: https://decisionpen.com/trial

## When is DecisionPen not the right tool?

If the primary need is drawing BPMN or freeform diagrams in Visio or Lucidchart. DecisionPen generates diagram images from curated context; it is not a diagramming canvas.

## FAQ

**What do EA factsheets usually contain?**  
Mostly the What: name, type, owner, lifecycle, thin attributes — rarely How or Why.

**Where does the How and Why live if not in the EA tool?**  
In HLDs, notes, transcripts, Confluence/SharePoint, and people’s heads.

**Why does missing How and Why slow decisions?**  
Leaders see existence without blast radius, behaviour, or rationale — so teams escalate or rediscover.

**Is DecisionPen a replacement for Visio or Lucidchart?**  
No. It is not a freeform diagramming or BPMN canvas.

## Related posts

- https://decisionpen.com/blog/why-enterprise-architecture-runs-on-tribal-knowledge  
- https://decisionpen.com/blog/why-architects-hate-manual-ea-modelling  
- https://decisionpen.com/blog/why-solution-architects-rediscover-the-landscape