Week 1 Deliverable Guide

What You Need to Do

Write a one-page analysis of an architectural decision from a real system you've worked on or observed. One page = ~500-800 words. Quality over quantity!

Requirements (The Must-Haves)

1. 2-3 architectural decisions identified and analyzed
2. Context and constraints explained
   • Who was involved?
   • What was the project?
   • What constraints existed? (budget, time, team, etc.)

What went right

Benefits achieved Problems solved Wins (even failures have some wins!)

What went wrong

Issues encountered Pain points Unexpected consequences

Tradeoff analysis

What was sacrificed to gain what? Why were these tradeoffs made? Were they worth it?

Your thoughts

Your analysis and perspective Not just "the team did X" What would you do differently? Why?

Nice to Have (Bonus Points!)

• Alternative approaches you considered
• Lessons learned
• Connection to class concepts (Conway's Law, quality attributes, golden hammer)
• Honesty and self-reflection (we learn from failures!)