Design It!

Match the Description Method to the Situation

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating software architecture descriptions. Less mature systems might change their architecture several times in a single conversation. A co-located team working on a smaller system can get by with whiteboards and storytelling. A system built for a regulated industry may be legally required to document design decisions in a specific way.

There are two questions we need to answer to decide how to document our architecture. How likely are our design decisions to change? And how far must we share our design decisions? Depending on how you answer these questions, you’ll arrive at one of four types of description methods: tribal, communal, formal, or wasteful. ...