documentation-and-adrs

Architecture decision records (ADRs) capture the reasoning, context, and constraints behind significant design choices. You should document trade-offs during major design choices, API changes, and feature rollouts to preserve context for future engineers.

To write an ADR, create a file in docs/decisions/ with a descriptive title and add context that justifies the choice. ADR templates guide the structure from proposal to acceptance, capturing the rationale and trade-offs for the API change.

Yes, ADR lifecycle tracking guides architecture decisions through their entire lifecycle. It manages changes from initial proposal to acceptance and eventual supersession, ensuring the project rationale remains accurate and accessible for engineering onboarding.

The best way to document codebase guidance is by combining ADRs with inline documentation and API documentation guidelines. This captures project rationale and architectural decisions, helping new team members understand the context and onboard efficiently.

Yes, inline documentation standards work alongside public API guidance to keep project documentation up to date. This combination ensures engineering onboarding materials accurately reflect current architectural decisions and codebase constraints.

Your team needs ADRs because inline documentation explains how code works, while ADRs record why specific architectural decisions were made. Preserving this rationale prevents future engineers from revisiting solved problems and losing context on past trade-offs.