Keeping track of architectural-ish decisions in a sustainable way

About This Talk

In this talk, we will be presenting one way to keep track of decisions made in the context of software development.

That certainly reads like a very short talk, yet, how is it that there is no abundance of examples about this in the software development world? Why is it that this seemingly simple and mundane thing is so seldom neglected? Is it that burdensome 8 pages long technical decision template that is getting in the way?

For a while now, some have stated that the problem is the lack of a suitable method and have proposed some new ways to do so. Architectural Decision Records is one of those and from our experience, it’s a breeze to work with. Most importantly, they have shaped the decision process to provide more thoughtful decisions with almost the same amount of effort.

We will be covering:

• A bit about the problem and the motivation for alternatives.
• Understanding what an Architecture Decision is (spoiler: less transcendental and more flexible than many think).
• The lightweight process of deciding with an ADR
• Example based on a case!

This talk requires no prior knowledge and welcomes all seniorities. If you have faced the problem before and you are not familiar with the concept of an ADR, this intro talk might provide some new tools on how to improve your decision and documentation process.