Architecture Decision Record Template
A short-form ADR that records context, decision, options considered, trade-offs, and a review date so a future engineer understands why.
Purpose
Use this template when a technical decision affects changeability, reliability, cost, ownership, security, data, or business options.
Template: Architecture Decision Record
Status: ／ Date:
Context
Decision
Options Considered
- Option A
- Option B
- Option C
Trade-Offs ／ Reversibility
Business Impact ／ Operational Impact
Rollout Plan ／ Validation Plan
Review Date
How to Use
Use the ADR above as the decision record. Keep the writing short enough that a future engineer can understand the context, the options considered, the trade-offs accepted, the operational impact, and the review date.
A good ADR does not prove that the decision was perfect. It preserves why the decision made sense at the time.
Key takeaways
- Write the ADR for a technical decision that touches changeability, reliability, cost, ownership, security, data, or business options: not for every small choice.
- Recording the options considered, not just the option chosen, is what lets a future engineer trust the reasoning rather than re-litigate it.
- Trade-offs, reversibility, and operational impact belong in the record up front, alongside the decision itself.
- The review date turns the ADR into something revisited on purpose, instead of a document nobody ever reopens.
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