the-approach

System architecture design from scratch uses structured interviews to guide targeted questions, defining boundaries, components, and integration points. Input requirements artefacts to yield a baseline design capturing explicit decision rationale and trade-offs.

Critiquing an architecture proposal involves evaluating boundaries, components, and integration points to highlight weak borders, hidden dependencies, and missing trade-offs. This review process ensures explicit decision rationale and minimizes architecture pain.

Plan structural changes by capturing the existing baseline architecture and defining target boundaries. Revision support helps design the migration path, ensuring component integration points and trade-offs are documented for effective change management.

You need a formal system design document when deciding on the shape of a solution, pressure-testing a design, or ensuring clear decision-making. It minimizes architecture pain caused by implicit decisions and captures explicit trade-offs.

The architecture review process requires input artefacts like requirements documents or architecture proposals. Providing these inputs allows the review to effectively evaluate boundaries, dependencies, and integration points.