Week 1 Deliverable Template

Architectural Decision Analysis

This is an OPTIONAL template. Use it if it helps you structure your thoughts. Free-form is totally fine too!

Project Context

Project Name: [What was the project?] Your Role: [What was your involvement? Developer? Observer? Inherited the code?] Timeline: [When did this happen? How long ago?] Team Size & Composition: [How many people? What roles? Junior/senior mix?] Key Constraints: [What were the main limitations?]

Budget:

Timeline: Team skills: Business requirements: Other:

Decision #1: [Decision Name]

The Decision

[What architectural choice was made? Be specific!] Example: "Chose MongoDB as primary database instead of PostgreSQL"

The Context

[Why was this decision being made? What problem were you solving?]

Questions to answer:

  • What triggered this decision?
  • What options were considered?
  • Who made the decision?
  • What constraints influenced it?

What Went Right ✅

[What benefits did this decision provide? What problems did it solve?] Look for:

  • Technical wins
  • Business value delivered
  • Team productivity gains
  • User experience improvements

What Went Wrong ❌

[What issues arose? What didn't work as expected?] Look for:

  • Technical problems
  • Unexpected complexity
  • Performance issues
  • Maintenance burden
  • Team friction

The Tradeoffs

[What was sacrificed to gain what? Were the tradeoffs worth it?] Framework:

What did you GAIN: What did you LOSE: In hindsight, was it worth it?

Decision #2: [Decision Name]

[Repeat the same structure for your second decision]

Decision #3: [Decision Name]

[Optional - only if you want to analyze a third decision]

Reflection & Lessons Learned

  1. What Would You Do Differently? [If you could go back, what would you change? Why?]
  2. Alternative Approaches [What other options existed? What would their tradeoffs have been?]
  3. Key Takeaways [What did you learn from this experience?] Connect to class concepts (if applicable):

Did Conway's Law play a role?

  • Which quality attributes mattered most?
  • Was there a golden hammer situation?
  • Were tradeoffs explicitly considered?

Final Thoughts

[Any other observations or insights?]

Remember:

One page total (~500-800 words) Focus on WHY not HOW Be honest about what went wrong Think about tradeoffs Connect to real context and constraints

You got this! 🚀