Stage 1 · Lesson 6 of 7
Decision records other teams can find
An , or ADR, is a short document about one decision. It covers the context, the options considered, what was chosen and the consequences, including what you gave up. Inside one team, a often does this job.
Across teams, you need decision records other teams can find. Keep them somewhere every affected team can see, such as a shared or index, and link them from the code and docs they affect. Do not edit a record later.
When a decision changes, write a new record that supersedes (replaces) the old one. Keep each record to a page.
Common trapburying the reasoning in a chat thread or a meeting, so that a year later someone reverses the decision without knowing why it was made.
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Resources for this stage
Start with· follow one of these
- CoursePaidSystem Design Patterns: From Fundamentals to Real Systems
Design Gurus · Intermediate · Subscription
The distributed patterns behind most designs, to judge proposals from other teams
- GuideFreeMartin Fowler's Website
Martin Fowler · Intermediate
Free, clear writing on architecture styles, microservices and evolving designs