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Software Architecture Design Checklist
Requirements Analysis
Identify and engage all the stakeholders to gather functional and non-functional requirements.
Perform a thorough domain analysis to understand the business context and constraints.
Document and prioritize requirements, and obtain stakeholder sign-off.
System Design Considerations
Define a high-level architecture that aligns with business goals and technology strategy.
Evaluate and select appropriate design patterns, frameworks, and platforms.
Assess scalability, performance, security, and maintainability requirements.
Design Validation and Review
Conduct architecture design reviews with technical leads and architects.
Perform risk analysis and mitigation planning for the proposed design.
Validate design decisions against requirements and quality attributes.
Data Management and Storage
Design data models that reflect the business entities and relationships.
Choose suitable database systems (SQL/NoSQL) based on data access patterns.
Plan for data migration, backup, and recovery strategies.
API and Service Design
Define consistent and versioned API contracts for internal and external services.
Ensure APIs adhere to RESTful principles or other relevant communication protocols.
Implement API security measures like authentication, authorization, and rate limiting.
User Interface and User Experience
Collaborate with UX/UI designers to ensure the technical feasibility of interfaces.
Establish a style guide and component library for a consistent look and feel.
Optimize user interfaces for performance and responsiveness.
Testing and Quality Assurance
Develop a comprehensive testing strategy covering unit, integration, and system tests.
Incorporate automated testing and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) practices.
Plan for performance testing and optimization based on the expected workload.
Deployment and Infrastructure
Define infrastructure requirements and select appropriate deployment models (cloud, on-premises, hybrid).
Implement infrastructure as code (IaC) for repeatable and automated deployments.
Ensure monitoring, logging, and alerting mechanisms are in place for production environments.
Documentation and Knowledge Sharing
Maintain up-to-date architecture and design documentation for new team members and stakeholders.
Document decisions, trade-offs, and rationale behind the architectural choices.
Organize regular knowledge-sharing sessions to disseminate information among team members.
Compliance and Security
Adhere to relevant industry standards and regulatory requirements.
Incorporate security best practices throughout the design and development process.
Conduct regular security audits and address vulnerabilities in a timely manner.
