🧩 No more redundant engineering debates: Creating alignment and clarity with ADRs

Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) are the key to documenting crucial decisions, enhancing team alignment. Learn the essentials of ADRs, including practical tips for creating clear, concise records

One of the most draining situations for an engineering team is having to revisit previously made decisions over and over.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to challenge the status quo when there’s data backing a new argument. Improvement is what we want. But if every decision becomes an argument, due to team members taking sides or past choices always being questioned, you can’t make progress.

As the person responsible for some of these decisions, it’s exhausting to be just a few weeks away from a launch, only to have choices made months ago re-evaluated.

Luckily, there’s a solution: Architectural Decision Records (ADRs). ADRs provide a structured way to document and share decisions, reducing redundant discussions and establishing a strong foundation for the team.

The goal is to save your team’s cognitive bandwidth for solving new problems, not rehashing old ones.

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⭐ In This Post, You’ll Learn:

• What an Architectural Decision Record (ADR) is

• Why documenting architectural decisions is vital for engineering teams

• Key components of an effective ADR

• How ADRs improve team alignment and reduce unnecessary rework

• Tips for writing clear, actionable ADRs

Paid subscibers get access to full history of articles, one exclusive article per month, and all the templates shared through 50+ articles

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📖 What is an Architectural Decision Record?

An Architectural Decision Record (ADR) is a document that captures critical architectural decisions in a structured, easy-to-reference format. Each ADR focuses on a single decision, detailing the options considered, decision-makers involved, relevant context, pros and cons, and ultimately, the final choice.

This record acts as a snapshot in time, illustrating not just what decision was made but why it was made.

Why does this matter?

It’s about preserving both the what and the why. By capturing the context and reasoning behind each decision, ADRs allow future engineers to understand the rationale without the decision-makers being present.

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🔗 Aligning Teams and Reducing Rework with ADRs

ADRs help align teams.

When decision histories are transparent and accessible, engineers can make informed adjustments without reopening past discussions. ADRs are like a map, showing the path that led to the current architecture and making it easier for the team to move forward confidently.

Imagine there were no ADRs or documentation in place.

Without them, engineers would waste hours re-evaluating previous choices, face unclear direction, and engage in redundant discussions. Documenting and formalizing decisions significantly reduces the likelihood of revisiting closed topics, saving time and energy.

By reducing rework, teams gain bandwidth to focus on new projects and increase overall productivity.

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🛠️ Leveling Up Discussions with Data-Driven Arguments

The goal should be for both new team members and external stakeholders to feel connected to past decisions.

ADRs bridge this gap by providing a backstory.

Without context, decisions can seem arbitrary or questionable to those not involved. With ADRs, engineers can access the history, seeing both who made a choice and the rationale behind it.

Of course, any decision can be challenged if there’s a stronger argument. But ADRs create a foundation for more respectful and informed discussions.

Engineers are quick to challenge a weak argument, but they’re less likely to question a well-thought-out decision when the rationale is clear and accessible.

Example

• Not Data-Driven

  • Engineer: “Why are we using Python?”

  • Author: “Because I like it.”

  • Engineer: “I prefer TypeScript! Let’s vote on which language everyone likes best.”

• Data-Driven

  • Engineer: “Why are we using Python?”

  • Author: “Python has libraries to speed up development. Choosing another language would mean building custom implementations, extending development from one week to six.”

  • Engineer: “Okay, I don’t have a better alternative.”

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💡 Additional Tips for Effective ADRs

To maximize the value of ADRs, keep the following in mind:

• Be Concise: Clear and to-the-point ADRs are more effective. Capture only what’s essential for understanding the decision.

• Use a Standardized Format: Consistency makes ADRs easier to create, read, and reference. Paid subscribers can access the ADR format I created for my team at Amazon here

• Summarize Discussions Separately: For decisions involving lengthy debates, include only the final outcome in the main ADR and link to supplementary notes if needed.

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🎯 Conclusion

Creating a data-driven culture, a culture of thoughtful arguments and truth-seeking, requires the right processes.

A culture where. the goal is not to defend decisions but to uncover the best course of action. By documenting the rationale behind, ADRs make the decisions clear to everyone in the team

For me, ADRs are the Unit Tests of architectural decisions. They allow engineers to propose improvements and to iterate on an existing system without the fear of breaking everything because they don’t know why things were done this way.

🎁 Paid subscribers can access the ADR template I created for my team at Amazon here

Paid subscibers get access to full history of articles, one exclusive article per month, and all the templates shared through 50+ articles

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