Architecture Decision Review
When your team or a vendor is split on a technical approach, the project can stall, or the decision goes to whoever pushes hardest. This review gives every option a fair hearing and leaves you with a documented decision your team can stand behind and come back to later.
Who it's for
- Your team is split on how to build something important, and the project is stalling.
- A vendor or architect has proposed a design, and you're not sure whether to approve it.
- The wrong choice could mean lost data, downtime or an expensive rebuild.
- Past technical decisions were made in meetings nobody wrote down.
What I do
- Hear every side, including the one that seems least likely, and put the options side by side.
- Weigh each option against what matters most to your business, such as data integrity, cost and how hard it is to change later.
- Write up the recommendation and the reasoning, so it can be revisited if requirements change.
I give you the recommendation and the reasoning. The final call stays with you, and the review doesn't include building the chosen design.
What you get
- A side-by-side comparison of the options, with pros, cons and risks
- A clear recommendation, with the reasoning written down
- A decision record your team can come back to when requirements change
Where this comes from
At a broadcasting company, the network architect and the development team disagreed on how to build an in-house system where the wrong choice could corrupt data. Every option got a full hearing and the decision was documented. When requirements changed, the notes let the team bring back the architect's best ideas.
The Architecture Decision Review is $1,200 (one to two weeks, for one decision). If it shows you need more than a review, the 30-day audit or an ongoing engagement is the next step.