Architectural Decision Record (ADR)

An Architectural Decision Record, or ADR, is a concise document that captures an important architectural decision made during the development of a software project. The goal of an ADR is to provide context, rationale, and consequences of a decision, so that future team members, or even the same team, can understand why a particular choice was made, even years later.

Key Elements of an ADR

• Title: a short, descriptive name for the decision.

• Status: whether the decision is proposed, accepted, deprecated, or superseded.

• Context: the background or problem that led to the decision.

• Decision: the actual choice made.

• Consequences: the expected outcomes, trade-offs, or impacts of the decision.

Documentation

See also Architecture decision record (ADR).

Related : Product Requirements Document (PDR), Application, Specification