Architecture complexity

Yes: The complexity has a stated reason.

Check: Record the metric and conditions that would reverse the choice.

No: Complexity may be accidental.

Check: Test whether a simpler deployment meets the same requirement.

No baseline: The need for complexity is unproven.

Check: Measure latency, throughput, release coupling, or isolation first.

Yes: The operating model supports the design.

Check: Validate tracing, ownership, and runbooks during an incident drill.

Not reliably: Operating cost may outweigh the benefit.

Check: Simplify the boundary or invest in observability and ownership.

Untested: The support burden is unknown.

Check: Run a fault-injection or recovery exercise.

Yes, supported by evidence: The design names what happens when only part of the work completes.

Check: Retain failure and reconciliation tests for the critical transaction.

Partly, with known gaps: The happy path is clear, but duplicate or partial effects need a decision. Resolve the prerequisite's remaining gaps before making the stated commitment.

Check: Trace a partial failure with the data owner and define duplicate handling and reconciliation.

No, the check is not met: Distribution has introduced correctness work without an agreed outcome.

Check: Trace a partial failure with the data owner and define duplicate handling and reconciliation.

Unknown, not verified: This prerequisite is unverified, not proven absent. Resolve its evidence before making the stated commitment. Missing evidence prevents a conclusion. Trace one transaction across boundaries, including retries, partial completion and reconciliation.

Check: Trace a partial failure with the data owner and define duplicate handling and reconciliation.

Yes, supported by evidence: The separation delivers an observable change-management benefit.

Check: Track coordinated changes and preserve compatibility checks.

Partly, with known gaps: Some releases are independent, but coordinated changes still dominate critical paths.

Check: Review recent releases and identify shared schemas, approval queues or synchronized deployments.

No, the check is not met: The system may carry distributed overhead without release autonomy.

Check: Review recent releases and identify shared schemas, approval queues or synchronized deployments.

Unknown, not verified: Missing evidence prevents a conclusion. Use recent releases and interface compatibility evidence. Separate repositories do not prove independent deployment.

Check: Review recent releases and identify shared schemas, approval queues or synchronized deployments.

Yes, supported by evidence: The added boundaries fit the observed customer-path budget.

Check: Retain the workload, percentile definition and end-to-end measurements.

Partly, with known gaps: Typical timing is acceptable, but tail latency or failure amplification is unverified.

Check: Measure a representative slow path and a dependency failure against the same acceptance budget.

No, the check is not met: Extra calls or dependencies violate a stated journey requirement.

Check: Measure a representative slow path and a dependency failure against the same acceptance budget.

Unknown, not verified: Missing evidence prevents a conclusion. Measure the end-to-end journey and tail behavior. Average per-component timing can hide cumulative delay.

Check: Measure a representative slow path and a dependency failure against the same acceptance budget.

Yes, supported by evidence: Added components have explicit access responsibilities.

Check: Review permission changes when interfaces or workloads change.

Partly, with known gaps: Some boundaries are controlled, but inherited permissions or secret handling remain uncertain. Resolve the prerequisite's remaining gaps before making the stated commitment.

Check: Test a disallowed cross-boundary request and record least-privilege ownership.

No, the check is not met: The design expands access without a reviewed boundary.

Check: Test a disallowed cross-boundary request and record least-privilege ownership.

Unknown, not verified: This prerequisite is unverified, not proven absent. Resolve its evidence before making the stated commitment. Missing evidence prevents a conclusion. Check service permissions, secrets, network paths and denied access for each added boundary.

Check: Test a disallowed cross-boundary request and record least-privilege ownership.

Yes, supported by evidence: The team can compare the boundary benefit with its actual operating burden.

Check: Review the same cost categories after a representative operating period.

Partly, with known gaps: Infrastructure costs are known, but people and coordination costs remain unmeasured.

Check: Record operational tasks and cross-team waits for one real boundary over a stated period.

No, the check is not met: The architecture choice omits much of the cost it introduces.

Check: Record operational tasks and cross-team waits for one real boundary over a stated period.

Unknown, not verified: Missing evidence prevents a conclusion. Include on-call, environments, upgrades, network costs and change coordination. Component count is not a cost model.

Check: Record operational tasks and cross-team waits for one real boundary over a stated period.

Yes, supported by evidence: The complexity can be justified relative to an actual simpler alternative.

Check: Retain the condition that would justify reversing or retaining the boundary.

Partly, with known gaps: An alternative is plausible, but one decisive requirement remains untested.

Check: Test the smallest simpler design against the constraint the extra boundary is meant to solve.

No, the check is not met: The choice is not yet supported by a comparable simpler baseline.

Check: Test the smallest simpler design against the constraint the extra boundary is meant to solve.

Unknown, not verified: Missing evidence prevents a conclusion. Compare equivalent isolation, scale and release needs. Simplification must not remove a necessary control.

Check: Test the smallest simpler design against the constraint the extra boundary is meant to solve.