SDSystem Design Studio
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Complete book · Architecture Decision Record — short template

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Practice a repeatable design flow and the trade-offs most often explored in interviews.

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Architecture review

Review an architecture systematically from boundaries through operability and evolution.

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  11. 11. 9. Security· Not complete
  12. 12. 10. Observability and Reliability· Not complete
  13. 13. 11. Deployment, Migration, and Evolution· Not complete
  14. 14. 12. Cost, Simplicity, and Operability· Not complete
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Agentic systems

Design agent and LLM systems with explicit contracts, failure boundaries, and review gates.

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  4. 4. 7. Failure Handling and Resilience· Not complete
  5. 5. 9. Security· Not complete
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  7. 7. 15. LLM and Agentic Systems· Not complete
  8. 8. 16. Spec-Driven Development for Agentic Systems· Not complete
  9. 9. 17. Agent-System Design Review Checklist· Not complete

Complete handbook · Section 27 of 31

Architecture Decision Record — short template

Table · scroll horizontally when needed

FieldWrite this
Decision questionWhat significant choice must be made?
Problem / requirementWhat concrete requirement, risk, or constraint creates the need?
Options consideredList the realistic alternatives, including the simpler option.
DecisionWhat did we choose?
RationaleWhy does this option best satisfy the important requirements/constraints?
Trade-offsWhat gets worse: cost, complexity, latency, consistency, availability, security, operability?
Failure behaviorHow does the decision behave when dependencies fail or load increases?
EvidenceLink the standard, vendor documentation, benchmark, test, or incident evidence.
Revisit triggerWhat future change would make us reconsider?
StatusProposed / Accepted / Superseded. Do not silently rewrite an accepted decision.
Requirements affectedLink the FRs, NFRs, constraints, or risks that make this decision significant.
Confidence / assumptionsWhat are we uncertain about, and what evidence or PoC would increase confidence?
ValidationHow will we prove the decision works after implementation and in production?

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