adr

An Architecture Decision Record (ADR) documents the rationale behind architectural choices to reduce ambiguity. You need ADRs to maintain a centralized, searchable knowledge base explaining why major changes were made during system modifications.

You should create an ADR when planning implementation, modifying core systems, or making major architectural changes. ADRs provide a stable decision log for governance, ensuring the rationale behind architectural choices is explicit before future work begins.

Accepted ADRs support immutability, meaning they are not directly changed. You manage updates through superseding and amending workflows, creating new records that reference and override previous decisions to maintain an accurate architectural history.

The best way to start writing an Architecture Decision Record is using template-guided creation. Consult and create ADRs before implementing major architectural changes to ensure your design decisions are properly governed and centralized.

Yes, you can use ADRs to govern planning and implementation workflows. They coordinate centralized decision logs, offering guidance on when to create or reference records during implementation to maintain a stable knowledge base.

ADRs help answer why decisions were made by maintaining a centralized, searchable knowledge base. By enforcing immutability and using superseding workflows, they preserve the original context and rationale behind major architectural changes.