Practical Templates and Checklists

This collection provides ready-to-use templates and checklists to help architects capture designs, document decisions, and maintain consistent quality across projects. All templates are designed for practical use and can be customized to fit your organization's needs.

Solution Design Templates

1. Solution Blueprint Template

A comprehensive template for documenting complete solution designs.

# Solution Blueprint: [Project Name]

## Document Information
- **Version:** 1.0
- **Date:** [Date]
- **Author:** [Architect Name]
- **Reviewers:** [Names]
- **Status:** [Draft | Review | Approved | Implemented]

## Executive Summary
[2-3 paragraph overview of the solution, business goals, and key outcomes]

### Key Success Metrics
- [Metric 1]: [Target Value]
- [Metric 2]: [Target Value]
- [Metric 3]: [Target Value]

## 1. Context and Background

### Business Problem
[Clear description of the problem being solved]

### Stakeholders
| Role | Name | Responsibilities | Contact |
|------|------|------------------|---------|
| Business Sponsor | | | |
| Product Owner | | | |
| Technical Lead | | | |
| Operations Lead | | | |

### Constraints
- **Timeline:** [Delivery date and milestones]
- **Budget:** [Financial constraints]
- **Technology:** [Platform/tool restrictions]
- **Compliance:** [Regulatory requirements]

## 2. Solution Overview

### High-Level Architecture
[Include architectural diagram and brief description]

### System Boundaries
[What's included and excluded from this solution]

### Key Components
| Component | Purpose | Technology | Owner |
|-----------|---------|------------|-------|
| | | | |

### Integration Points
[How this solution connects with existing systems]

## 3. Technology Stack

### Frontend
- **Framework:** [Technology choice and version]
- **Justification:** [Why this choice]

### Backend
- **Language/Framework:** [Technology choice and version]
- **Justification:** [Why this choice]

### Database
- **Type:** [RDBMS/NoSQL/etc.]
- **Technology:** [Specific database]
- **Justification:** [Why this choice]

### Infrastructure
- **Platform:** [Cloud provider or on-premise]
- **Key Services:** [List of infrastructure services]
- **Justification:** [Why this approach]

## 4. Non-Functional Requirements

| Quality Attribute | Requirement | Measurement | Target |
|------------------|-------------|-------------|--------|
| Performance | Response time | 95th percentile | < 500ms |
| Scalability | Concurrent users | Peak load | 10,000 users |
| Availability | Uptime | Monthly SLA | 99.9% |
| Security | Data protection | Compliance | GDPR compliant |

## 5. Implementation Plan

### Phase 1: Foundation
- **Duration:** [Timeframe]
- **Deliverables:** [Key outputs]
- **Success Criteria:** [How to measure success]

### Phase 2: Core Features
- **Duration:** [Timeframe]
- **Deliverables:** [Key outputs]
- **Success Criteria:** [How to measure success]

### Phase 3: Enhancement
- **Duration:** [Timeframe]
- **Deliverables:** [Key outputs]
- **Success Criteria:** [How to measure success]

## 6. Operations and Monitoring

### Deployment Strategy
[How the solution will be deployed and updated]

### Monitoring and Alerting
[Key metrics to monitor and alert thresholds]

### Support Model
[How the solution will be supported post-deployment]

## 7. Risk Assessment

| Risk | Probability | Impact | Mitigation Strategy | Owner |
|------|-------------|--------|-------------------|-------|
| | Low/Med/High | Low/Med/High | | |

## 8. Decision Log
[Reference to related ADRs or key decisions made]

## 9. Appendices
- [Supporting documentation, detailed diagrams, etc.]

2. System Context Template

For documenting how a system fits within its environment.

# System Context: [System Name]

## Purpose
[Why this system exists and what business problem it solves]

## Scope
[What is included and excluded from this system]

## Users and Stakeholders
| Type | Description | Interaction Method |
|------|-------------|-------------------|
| End Users | | |
| Administrators | | |
| External Systems | | |

## External Dependencies
| Dependency | Type | Purpose | SLA/Requirements |
|------------|------|---------|------------------|
| | Service/Data/Infrastructure | | |

## Context Diagram
[Include C4 context diagram or similar visualization]

## Key Scenarios
1. **[Scenario Name]**: [Brief description of user journey]
2. **[Scenario Name]**: [Brief description of user journey]
3. **[Scenario Name]**: [Brief description of user journey]

Decision Documentation

3. Architecture Decision Record (ADR) Template

The standard template for capturing architectural decisions.

# ADR-[Number]: [Decision Title]

## Status
[Proposed | Accepted | Rejected | Deprecated | Superseded by ADR-XXX]

## Context
[Describe the situation and problem that led to this decision]

## Decision
[State the decision that was made]

## Rationale
[Explain why this decision was made, including key factors considered]

## Alternatives Considered
1. **[Alternative 1]**
   - Pros: [Benefits]
   - Cons: [Drawbacks]
   - Why rejected: [Reason]

2. **[Alternative 2]**
   - Pros: [Benefits]
   - Cons: [Drawbacks]
   - Why rejected: [Reason]

## Consequences
### Positive
- [Benefit 1]
- [Benefit 2]

### Negative
- [Trade-off 1]
- [Trade-off 2]

### Neutral
- [Neutral impact 1]

## Implementation Notes
[Any specific guidance for implementing this decision]

## Related Decisions
- ADR-XXX: [Related decision]
- ADR-YYY: [Related decision]

## References
- [Link to relevant documentation]
- [Link to research or examples]

4. Technology Evaluation Template

For comparing technology options systematically.

# Technology Evaluation: [Purpose/Use Case]

## Evaluation Criteria
| Criterion | Weight | Description |
|-----------|--------|-------------|
| Performance | 25% | Speed and efficiency requirements |
| Scalability | 20% | Ability to handle growth |
| Maintainability | 15% | Ease of updates and changes |
| Cost | 20% | Total cost of ownership |
| Team Expertise | 10% | Current team knowledge |
| Community Support | 10% | Documentation and community |

## Options Evaluated

### Option 1: [Technology Name]
- **Score:** [Total weighted score]
- **Pros:** [Key advantages]
- **Cons:** [Key disadvantages]
- **Fit Assessment:** [How well it meets needs]

### Option 2: [Technology Name]
- **Score:** [Total weighted score]
- **Pros:** [Key advantages]
- **Cons:** [Key disadvantages]
- **Fit Assessment:** [How well it meets needs]

## Detailed Scoring
[Include detailed scoring matrix]

## Recommendation
[Final recommendation with justification]

Quality Assurance Checklists

5. Architecture Review Checklist

Comprehensive checklist for reviewing architectural designs.

Business Alignment

Solution directly supports stated business objectives
Success metrics are clearly defined and measurable
Stakeholder needs are addressed
ROI/business case is compelling

Technical Design

Architecture follows established patterns and principles
Component responsibilities are clearly defined
Interfaces are well-designed and documented
Data flow is logical and efficient
Error handling is comprehensive

Non-Functional Requirements

Performance targets are realistic and testable
Scalability approach is appropriate for expected growth
Security requirements are thoroughly addressed
Availability and reliability requirements are met
Compliance requirements are satisfied

Implementation Readiness

Technology choices are justified and appropriate
Team has necessary skills or training plan exists
Dependencies are identified and managed
Deployment strategy is viable
Testing approach is comprehensive

Operations and Maintenance

Monitoring and alerting strategy is defined
Support and maintenance approach is clear
Documentation is complete and accessible
Knowledge transfer plan exists

6. Security Architecture Checklist

Specialized checklist for security considerations.

Identity and Access Management

Authentication mechanisms are appropriate
Authorization model follows principle of least privilege
Multi-factor authentication where required
Session management is secure

Data Protection

Data classification scheme is applied
Encryption at rest and in transit
Data retention policies are implemented
Privacy requirements are met (GDPR, etc.)

Application Security

Input validation and sanitization
Protection against common vulnerabilities (OWASP Top 10)
Secure coding practices followed
Regular security testing planned

Infrastructure Security

Network segmentation implemented
Secure configuration management
Regular security updates planned
Incident response procedures defined

Role-Specific Templates

7. Enterprise Architecture Roadmap Template

For planning long-term technology evolution.

# Enterprise Architecture Roadmap: [Time Period]

## Current State
### Technology Landscape
[Current systems, platforms, and capabilities]

### Key Challenges
[Current pain points and limitations]

## Target State
### Vision
[Desired end state description]

### Key Capabilities
[New capabilities to be developed]

## Transformation Initiatives

### Year 1: [Focus Area]
| Initiative | Description | Dependencies | Success Criteria |
|------------|-------------|--------------|------------------|
| | | | |

### Year 2: [Focus Area]
| Initiative | Description | Dependencies | Success Criteria |
|------------|-------------|--------------|------------------|
| | | | |

### Year 3: [Focus Area]
| Initiative | Description | Dependencies | Success Criteria |
|------------|-------------|--------------|------------------|

## Investment Analysis
| Initiative | Cost | Benefits | Timeframe | Priority |
|------------|------|----------|-----------|----------|
| | | | | |

8. Data Architecture Assessment Template

For evaluating data architecture maturity and needs.

# Data Architecture Assessment

## Current State Analysis

### Data Sources
| Source | Type | Volume | Quality | Access Method |
|--------|------|--------|---------|---------------|
| | | | | |

### Data Storage
| System | Technology | Purpose | Data Types | Issues |
|--------|------------|---------|------------|-------|
| | | | | |

### Data Processing
| Process | Technology | Frequency | Dependencies | Performance |
|---------|------------|-----------|--------------|-------------|
| | | | | |

## Gap Analysis
| Area | Current Capability | Target Capability | Gap | Priority |
|------|-------------------|-------------------|-----|----------|
| | | | | |

## Recommendations
1. **[Priority 1]**: [Recommendation with rationale]
2. **[Priority 2]**: [Recommendation with rationale]
3. **[Priority 3]**: [Recommendation with rationale]

Communication Templates

9. Stakeholder Communication Template

For regular updates to project stakeholders.

# Architecture Update: [Date]

## Executive Summary
[Brief status and key points for leadership]

## Progress This Period
### Completed
- [Major accomplishment 1]
- [Major accomplishment 2]

### In Progress
- [Current work item 1]
- [Current work item 2]

## Upcoming Milestones
| Milestone | Target Date | Status | Dependencies |
|-----------|-------------|--------|--------------|
| | | | |

## Decisions Needed
| Decision | Options | Deadline | Impact |
|----------|---------|----------|--------|
| | | | |

## Risks and Issues
| Item | Impact | Probability | Mitigation | Owner |
|------|--------|-------------|------------|-------|
| | | | | |

## Metrics
| Metric | Current | Target | Trend |
|--------|---------|--------|-------|
| | | | |

10. Architecture Presentation Template

Standard structure for architecture presentations.

# [Solution Name] Architecture Overview

## Slide Structure

### 1. Title Slide
- Solution name
- Presenter information
- Date and audience

### 2. Agenda
- Key topics to be covered
- Expected outcomes

### 3. Context
- Business problem
- Success criteria
- Key constraints

### 4. Solution Overview
- High-level architecture diagram
- Key components
- Flow description

### 5. Deep Dive Sections
- Component details
- Technology choices
- Integration points

### 6. Non-Functional Aspects
- Performance
- Security
- Scalability

### 7. Implementation Plan
- Phases
- Timeline
- Dependencies

### 8. Risks and Mitigations
- Key risks
- Mitigation strategies

### 9. Questions and Discussion
- Open floor for questions
- Next steps

### 10. Appendix
- Detailed diagrams
- Supporting information

Customization Guidelines

Adapting Templates for Your Organization

Add Your Branding: Include company logos, colors, and formatting standards
Modify Sections: Adjust sections to match your governance requirements
Add Compliance Elements: Include required regulatory or compliance sections
Customize Terminology: Use your organization's preferred terms and definitions
Include Tool-Specific Elements: Add sections for tools you use (JIRA references, etc.)

Template Maintenance

Review templates quarterly for relevance
Gather feedback from users and update accordingly
Version control templates like any other architectural artifact
Maintain a templates changelog

Related Resources

Glossary - Definitions of architectural terms
Resources - Books, courses, and tools
Table of Contents - Complete book navigation

These templates are provided as starting points and should be customized for your specific organizational needs and context.

Practical Templates and Checklists

What You'll Find

Practical Templates and Checklists

Quick Navigation

Solution Design Templates

1. Solution Blueprint Template

2. System Context Template

Decision Documentation

3. Architecture Decision Record (ADR) Template

4. Technology Evaluation Template

Quality Assurance Checklists

5. Architecture Review Checklist

Business Alignment

Technical Design

Non-Functional Requirements

Implementation Readiness

Operations and Maintenance

6. Security Architecture Checklist

Identity and Access Management

Data Protection

Application Security

Infrastructure Security

Role-Specific Templates

7. Enterprise Architecture Roadmap Template

8. Data Architecture Assessment Template

Communication Templates

9. Stakeholder Communication Template

10. Architecture Presentation Template

Customization Guidelines

Adapting Templates for Your Organization

Template Maintenance

Related Resources

📚 Glossary

🔗 Resources