architecture-decision-records

An architecture decision record (ADR) captures the context and rationale behind significant technical choices. You should document an ADR during major technology selections, past architecture reviews, or when establishing decision processes across product teams.

To create an ADR, select a standardized template like MADR or lightweight formats, document the decision context, and place it under docs/adr. Manage ADRs by tracking their lifecycle status from Proposed to Accepted, Deprecated, or Superseded with an updated index.

Yes, you can use adr-tools to automate the creation, linking, and generation of a table of contents for architecture decision records. This tooling integration supports consistent ADR creation, review, and maintenance workflows.

The best way to structure ADRs for onboarding and governance is applying standardized templates like MADR, Y-Statement, or RFC-style formats. Maintain an index with cross-links and track the decision lifecycle to improve traceability and knowledge sharing.

Yes, the architecture decision record process supports full lifecycle tracking including Proposed, Accepted, Deprecated, and Superseded states. It maintains an index with cross-links to govern decision changes and establish clear traceability across product teams.

Architecture decision records provide specialized context and rationale capture that standard technical documentation lacks. Using ADRs with dedicated templates and lifecycle governance improves long-term architecture traceability, onboarding, and decision process establishment.