documentation-and-adrs

An architectural decision record (ADR) captures the context, alternatives, and consequences of a major technical choice. You need an ADR when making irreversible structural decisions like selecting a database technology or planning a microservices migration to prevent future re-evaluation.

To document architectural trade-offs, use standardized Markdown templates to record design decisions, API specifications, and system constraints. This intent-based documentation preserves the reasoning behind structural choices for both human engineers and AI agents maintaining the codebase.

The best way to explain design intent is by writing inline comments that describe the 'why' rather than the 'what', combined with clean, professional READMEs. This structured approach ensures the reasoning behind your code remains clear over time.

Yes, you can use structured Markdown templates to document API specifications and system constraints. Standardizing these records ensures that both human engineers and AI agents understand the architectural boundaries and design trade-offs of the project.

You generate an ADR template for a microservices migration by applying a standardized documentation framework to capture the proposed architectural shift. This records the evaluation process and structural consequences, preventing future team members from repeating the same analysis.