software-architecture-review

A structured software architecture review uses a phase-driven workflow of Discovery, Analysis, and Recommendations to evaluate designs. It enforces a lens-driven approach covering Complexity, Boundaries, Coverage, Duplication, and Coupling to produce a final REVIEW_FILE artifact.

An architecture review should analyze trade-offs and smells through specific lenses: Complexity, Boundaries, Coverage, Duplication, and Coupling. This lens-driven evaluation surfaces hidden structural issues and ensures software designs remain deliberate and traceable.

You document architectural decisions for governance by generating a REVIEW_FILE artifact during the review process. This documented workflow captures Discovery, Analysis, and Recommendations, ensuring all architectural choices are deliberate and aligned with business goals.

The best way to uncover gaps in architecture documentation is using Enrichment and Adversarial modes during an architecture review. These modes validate existing designs against lens-based criteria, revealing missing context and undocumented trade-offs.

Yes, the architecture review process works without external dependencies. It relies entirely on an internal phase-driven workflow and lens-based evaluation framework to analyze your software architecture and generate actionable recommendations.

You need a lens-driven evaluation when your software architecture requires rigorous governance and risk analysis. Applying Complexity, Boundaries, and Coupling lenses ensures your design decisions are deliberate, documented, and systematically evaluated for architectural smells.