documentation-and-adrs

To document architectural decisions, you can use structured Markdown files with YAML frontmatter to capture metadata, design rationales, and technical choices for better codebase understanding. This approach standardizes decision tracking throughout your software development project.

You need to write an Architecture Decision Record when planning a significant architectural change or implementing a new feature. Recording the decision-making process and rationale behind technical choices ensures team alignment and maintains historical context for complex software projects.

The best way to start tracking technical choices is to use ADR templates with Markdown formatting and structured YAML frontmatter. You can generate a new record for an upcoming feature by running a command like `start-adr "Feature Name"` to initiate the documentation process.

No specific dependencies are required to maintain project documentation with structured YAML frontmatter. The process relies on standard Markdown formatting and knowledge of ADR templates, applying best practices directly within your software development environment without external tools.

ADR templates provide a structured format for decision tracking by combining standard Markdown with YAML frontmatter for metadata, whereas plain Markdown lacks standardized fields for capturing architectural decisions, design rationales, and technical choices consistently across a codebase.

Limitations of using Markdown and YAML frontmatter for codebase management include the requirement for manual adherence to ADR templates and documentation best practices, as the format itself does not enforce structural compliance or automate architectural decision validation.