The Art of CTO Architecture Scenario Planner models different architecture approaches and compares trade-offs across cost, performance, scalability, and team capability dimensions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you compare architecture approaches?
Compare architecture approaches across five dimensions: cost (infrastructure and development investment over 3 years), performance (latency, throughput, resource efficiency), scalability (maximum capacity, scaling complexity, cost curve), team capability (skills required, hiring difficulty, learning curve), and risk (migration complexity, vendor lock-in, technology maturity). Score each option on each dimension, weight the dimensions based on your organization's priorities, and calculate a total weighted score. Document the analysis in an Architecture Decision Record for future reference.
What is an Architecture Decision Record (ADR)?
An ADR is a lightweight document that captures an architecture decision, its context, the options considered, and the rationale for the chosen approach. A typical ADR includes: title, date, status (proposed/accepted/deprecated), context (why this decision is needed), decision (what was decided), consequences (trade-offs accepted), and alternatives considered. ADRs create an institutional memory of why decisions were made, preventing future teams from relitigating settled decisions or repeating past mistakes.