architecture-decision-records

Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) are standardized documents capturing significant infrastructure choices. You need them to prevent lost institutional knowledge and repeated debates by providing a version-controlled method for documenting architectural decisions.

You document the lifecycle status of an infrastructure decision by tracking it through Proposed, Accepted, Superseded, and Deprecated states. This governance process ensures decision immutability while maintaining a clear historical record of architectural changes.

You should use a standardized format consisting of Context, Decision, and Consequences to document infrastructure decisions. This structure ensures clarity and consistency when recording the rationale, chosen solution, and implications of significant architectural choices.

You manage architectural governance and prevent rework by implementing version-controlled ADRs with enforced immutability and numbering. This standardized documentation method ensures clear tracking of foundational decisions and exemptions, reducing repeated debates in cloud infrastructure.

Yes, this approach works for cloud provider migrations by creating an ADR that captures the rationale, the chosen provider, and the implications. Documenting this critical decision ensures future reference and smooth onboarding for new team members.

You should not use immutable decision records when a decision requires frequent, undocumented changes, as the immutability rule prevents altering accepted records. Instead, changes are managed by superseding prior decisions to maintain a strict governance lifecycle.