Tie it together with decision records, team alignment, and a repeatable process
Great architecture is not just what you decide — it’s how those decisions are made, shared, and revisited.
Your architecture will mirror your team structure. If you want a different architecture, you may need different team boundaries.
Clarify who decides:
This prevents decision gridlock and builds trust.
Use ADRs for any one‑way decision:
# ADR: [Title]
Date: YYYY-MM-DD
Status: Proposed / Accepted / Deprecated
Context:
Options Considered:
Decision:
Tradeoffs:
Review Date:
ADRs are lightweight and powerful — they turn architectural memory into durable knowledge.
When faced with a decision, run this checklist:
Q: Why do ADRs reduce long‑term architecture risk?
<details> <summary>💡 Reveal Answer</summary>They preserve context and tradeoffs. Future engineers can evaluate the decision against current reality instead of guessing, which prevents accidental regressions or repeated debates.
</details> <details> <summary>Best approach</summary> </details>Full access
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Create your first ADR:
Scenario: Two teams disagree on adopting an event bus. One wants speed of change; the other fears operational complexity.
How do you resolve it?
Run the framework: name the driver (decoupling vs operational simplicity), classify reversibility (it’s closer to one‑way), document options (REST, queue, event bus), and agree on tradeoffs. Decide with leadership input and record in an ADR with a review date.
| Idea | Remember This |
|---|---|
| Conway’s Law | Org structure shapes architecture |
| Decision rights | Clarify who decides what |
| ADRs | Lightweight, durable architectural memory |
| Framework | Driver → reversibility → options → tradeoffs |
You now have a complete, practical architecture decision toolkit. Use it to move fast without breaking the wrong things.