📝§ Decisions

• Architecture as a set of important decisions—decisions are inherent part of software architecture
• Tracking:
  • Maintain a decision todo list—track decisions along with tasks
• Deciding:
  • Make decisions at the Last Responsible Moment
  • Lightweight RFC-like process
  • Have more options to choose from:
    • Vanishing Options Test—“You cannot choose any of the current options you’re considering. What else could you do?”
    • Execs who weigh more options actually make decisions faster
  • Set decision-making rules when team consensus stalls
• Documenting:
  • Be wary of wasting time documenting design decisions—not all decisions are worth documenting
  • Documenting decisions
  • Architecture Decision Record—a format for documenting decision
    • Present ADRs as simply “decisions”—this will encourage others to document their decisions as well (architectural or not)

Resources

• Heath & Heath₂₀₀₁