design-tracker

Automatically documenting architecture decisions involves recording implementation choices and library rationales directly into a DESIGN.md file and appending a changelog entry. This ensures design decisions are captured proactively during architecture discussions for future audit traceability.

Maintaining a design changelog requires appending an entry for each architecture decision or implementation choice made. This practice supports future audits by providing a clear history of why specific library choices and design patterns were adopted.

You can record design decisions without workflow disruption by instructing an automation tool to document them immediately during the discussion. The tool reads the existing DESIGN.md, updates the correct sections, and appends the changelog entry automatically.

Yes, this design decision documentation approach works without external dependencies. It operates independently to read existing project files, update the DESIGN.md structure, and append changelog entries without requiring additional components.

You need to update the DESIGN.md file during architecture discussions, when making implementation choices, selecting libraries, or addressing open questions. Updating it proactively ensures all design decisions are captured and traceable across the team.