An Azure architecture review should not start with a generic checklist. It should start by mapping business workloads to cloud resources. Which applications matter most? Which databases are critical? Which integrations are fragile? Which environments are production, staging, or unused?
After mapping workloads, review identity and access. Over-permissioned accounts, unclear ownership, and missing role boundaries create risk. Then review networking, private access, ingress, egress, and service exposure.
Cost and performance come next. Check hosting plans, scale settings, database tiers, storage, monitoring retention, and resource utilization. Expensive resources are not always wrong, but every major cost should have a reason.
Deployment and operations matter as much as infrastructure. A platform with no rollback path, poor logging, and manual releases is not production-ready.
The output should be a prioritized roadmap: quick wins, risk fixes, modernization opportunities, and decisions that require deeper planning.