do-design-pass

Assess design risk and compare design shapes for public APIs and module boundaries to prevent speculative architecture and under-designed patches. Evaluating design tiers ensures maintainable shapes before implementation begins.

Design risk assessment evaluates the risk tier of changes to public APIs, module boundaries, and shared abstractions. It categorizes changes into tiers to determine the required depth of design consideration and decision-making before implementation.

Compare at least two design shapes, typically a direct approach and a more abstract one, then select the smallest design that survives the next plausible change. This prevents over-engineering while avoiding under-designed tactical patches.

Generate compact design notes for Tier 2 changes and require a full design pass with pause for approval for Tier 3 changes. Tiering depends on the design risk assessment of modifications to shared abstractions and public APIs.

Run a design evaluation focusing on public APIs, module boundaries, and shared abstractions to guide the design of software changes. This process provides shape comparison and selection guidance to ensure maintainable architecture.

Design risk tiers require careful design consideration and decision-making, meaning they guide rather than automate architectural choices. The assessment focuses on preventing speculative architecture but still requires manual selection of the smallest viable design shape.