system-architect

System design RFCs require clearly defined service boundaries, data ownership rules, and non-functional requirements like latency and RPO/RTO targets. Include a risk and trade-off analysis alongside a structured rollout and rollback plan to ensure robust architectural decisions.

Choosing between a monolith vs microservices requires a structured complexity triage and trade-off analysis. Right-size your architecture by evaluating fault tolerance needs, data ownership boundaries, and observability targets to avoid over-engineering while maintaining system robustness.

Defining non-functional requirements for scalable system design involves specifying latency, availability, and RPO/RTO targets. Frame these metrics within your design docs to guide architectural decisions, ensure fault tolerance, and set clear observability expectations from day one.

Structure a design doc for fault-tolerant architecture by defining service boundaries and data ownership. Include a risk assessment, trade-off analysis, and an end-to-end rollout plan with rollback strategies to address observability and non-functional requirements during the migration.

Avoid microservices when a complexity triage shows the problem does not require highly distributed boundaries. Right-size your architecture by choosing a monolith to prevent over-engineering, unless fault tolerance and specific scalability requirements demand otherwise.