How to make architecture decisions
We want empower engineering teams to make their own decisions, but we should also recognise that autonomous teams cannot solve every problem on their own. Sometimes they may lack the experience, perspective, or technical know-how to drive a decision. Some engineers are reluctant to assert opinions on their colleagues, while others can be a little too eager to do so.
Decision making becomes more difficult as the impact of a decision starts to spread beyond team boundaries. As the scope of a decision increases, more people become involved, different agendas come into play, and it can be difficult to broker agreement. The trade-offs tend to become more nuanced, and the risks are not always immediately obvious.
Larger scale decisions with wide impact need to be made with a sense of expertise and experience, as well as organisational sensitivity. The bigger the impact, the more an experienced architect can add value by helping to foresee any likely outcomes and navigating the potential consequences.
Technology decisions don't have to be made explicitly. You can decide not to make a formal decision, though you need to recognise that this allows lots of smaller decisions to accumulate over time. You need to decide whether this matters, i.e. are you happy to let a decision evolve in a more informal way?
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