architecture-decision-records

An architecture decision record (ADR) documents the context, rationale, and trade-offs behind significant technical decisions. You need ADRs when your team requires auditable rationale, consistent governance, and traceable lifecycle tracking for design choices across software repositories.

To document architectural decisions, you create an ADR using the MADR template to capture context, decisions, consequences, and lifecycle states. This standardizes decision documentation, enabling consistent governance and centralized indexing for discovery across your software projects.

You manage the architecture decision record lifecycle by transitioning its state from Proposed to Superseded while cross-referencing related ADRs. This lifecycle management ensures traceability and maintains linked references between outdated and current design decisions across repositories.

Yes, you can cross-link architecture decision records across multiple repositories. The Skill supports cross-referencing between ADRs and provides a central index, enabling discovery and governance by linking related design decisions and tracking their relationships.

The best way to standardize architectural decision documentation is applying structured ADR templates to capture context, trade-offs, and lifecycle states. This enables consistent governance, centralized indexing for discovery, and auditable rationale across all your software projects.