Tutorials Software Architect Tutorial

Architecture Decision Records

Architecture Decision Records: free step-by-step lesson with examples, common mistakes, and interview tips — part of Software Architect Tutorial on Toolliyo Academy.

8 min read Updated 7/20/2026

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Software Architect Tutorial · Lesson 9 of 100

Architecture Decision Records

Foundations & Styles → Distributed & Data → Cloud & Quality → Leadership & Cases

Foundations & Styles · 1 — Decide · ~6 min · Architecture Foundations

What is this?

An ADR is a short doc: context, decision, consequences. It replaces tribal memory and endless Slack archaeology.

Why should you care?

Governance that only lives in meetings disappears. ArchDesk keeps ADRs next to code.

See it live — copy this example

These are architecture exercises: fill templates, draw boxes, write ADRs. No cloud bill required.

# ADR-001: Use modular monolith for v1
Status: Accepted
Context: 6 engineers, one product, unclear scale axes
Decision: Single deployable API with module boundaries
Consequences: Faster delivery; revisit microservices at 3 teams

What happened?

Context prevents cargo-culting.
Consequences show you thought about downsides.

Practice next

Write ADR-001 for a real decision.
Add Status and date.
Link it from the README.
Write ADR-002 about auth.
Mark one ADR as Deprecated.

Remember

ADR = context + decision + consequences. Keep them short. Supersede, do not delete history.

New hire onboarding

Engineer asks why not microservices.

Outcome: They read ADR-001 in 3 minutes.

Interview prep for this lesson

Practice these questions aloud after reading—each links to a full structured answer.

Junior Detailed

Explain Services in the context of Software Architect.

Short answer: Interviewers want a crisp definition, a practical example from your projects, and awareness of trade-offs—not textbook dumps. How to structure your answer (60–90 seconds) Define Services in plain language f…

What are common mistakes teams make with Deployment when using Software Architect?

Short answer: Interviewers want a crisp definition, a practical example from your projects, and awareness of trade-offs—not textbook dumps. How to structure your answer (60–90 seconds) Define Deployment in plain language…

Senior Detailed

How would you debug a production issue related to Security in a Software Architect application?

Short answer: Interviewers want a crisp definition, a practical example from your projects, and awareness of trade-offs—not textbook dumps. How to structure your answer (60–90 seconds) Define Security in plain language f…

Compare two approaches to Cost—when would you choose each?

Short answer: Interviewers want a crisp definition, a practical example from your projects, and awareness of trade-offs—not textbook dumps. How to structure your answer (60–90 seconds) Define Cost in plain language for S…

Junior Detailed

Describe a real-world scenario where Monitoring mattered in a Software Architect project.

Short answer: Interviewers want a crisp definition, a practical example from your projects, and awareness of trade-offs—not textbook dumps. How to structure your answer (60–90 seconds) Define Monitoring in plain language…

All course Q&A Practice exams

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