SecondPen.aiTemplates · Engineering & architecture
Architecture Decision Record (ADR) template
Origin: Michael Nygard (2011); now standard in ThoughtWorks Tech Radar "adopt" practices.
Sections
- Title
- Status
- Context
- Decision
- Consequences
How a tough reader scores it
When you score a draft against this format, the Critic evaluates this ADR. The weights add up to 100; the fixes for the weakest criteria arrive as cards in the editor.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Context states the forces neutrally and completely | 25 |
| Decision is a single, clear, active-voice statement | 20 |
| Options considered are real | 15 |
| Consequences include negatives and follow-on work | 25 |
| Status, date, and deciders recorded | 10 |
| Concise — one decision only | 5 |
How it works in SecondPen.ai
Open the template and the editor writes the blank once, with a line of guidance under each heading that you delete as you fill it in. Write your abstract and the editor names the format it reads like. Ask for a document with a slash command and it offers to start from the matching format. When the draft is ready, the Critic scores it against the criteria above, the way this format's toughest reader would, and the three highest-leverage fixes become Editor cards.
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