👋 Hi there,
Let me start with a story I’ve seen too many times:
A senior dev joins a team and takes charge of a redesign.
They know the system deeply. They’re fast. Confident. Smart.
They build something elegant, efficient, even scalable.
But there’s no brief. No diagram. No discussion of tradeoffs.
The knowledge lives mostly in Slack threads… or worse, in their head.
A few months later, they’re reassigned. Or leave.
Another team inherits the system.
They can’t figure out the patterns.
They don’t know why certain decisions were made.
They hesitate to change anything.
They introduce a workaround and accidentally break a core behavior.
And just like that, the architecture starts to rot.
💡 Architecture Is What You Can Explain
There’s this quiet myth among devs:
If I make the right technical decisions, the system will speak for itself.
But systems don’t speak for themselves. People explain them.
And if you can’t explain a system clearly to your team, your stakeholders, or your future self, it’s not finished.
The architecture isn’t just the code or the diagram.
The architecture is also the understanding that surrounds it.
Great architects don’t just design systems.
They design shared understanding.
Because when architecture scales across teams, clarity becomes more important than cleverness.
🔍 Why This Matters More Than You Think
This isn’t just about writing docs. It’s about being a force multiplier.
Here’s what happens when you build a habit of architectural communication:
Fewer misaligned implementations
Less rework caused by misunderstood assumptions
Faster onboarding for new engineers
Easier handoffs between teams
Higher confidence in changes
A culture of better technical reasoning
The irony is, we often avoid this kind of writing because it feels like extra work.
But once you adopt the mindset that communication is a first-class part of the system, it becomes obvious:
This is the work.
🧰 Tool of the Week: The Lightweight Architecture Brief
Not every design needs a full RFC.
But most decisions deserve a little structure.
Here’s the template I’ve used (and shared) across teams — lightweight, clear, and scale-friendly:
🧩 Architecture Brief Template (1–2 pages max)
Title
E.g. “Auth Service Rewrite – Removing Session Storage Layer”
Problem or context
Why are we building this? What’s the real issue?
Constraints
What limits us (timeline, legacy tech, budget, team skills)?
Options considered
What paths did we explore? Brief pros/cons are enough.
Decision + reasoning
What we chose, and why this option makes sense right now.
Diagram (optional)
Even a rough sketch can help, context or component-level is fine.
Risks or tradeoffs
What could go wrong? What complexity are we introducing?
Follow-up / review point
When should we revisit or assess this decision?
You can write this in a Notion doc, markdown file, email, or Slack thread.
Format isn’t the point, clarity is.
✅ This Week’s Challenge
Pick something you’ve worked on recently, a feature, a refactor, or a system change.
Now write a short architecture brief using the format above.
You’re not trying to impress anyone. Just think clearly and explain:
What were we solving?
Why did we pick this approach?
What tradeoffs did we accept?
Then share it with someone. Ask:
“Could you understand this if I wasn’t around to explain it?”
That’s how you level up your thinking and build trust across teams.
🗣️ Let’s Make This Real
What’s the most confusing system or design decision you’ve ever had to work with?
Something that left you scratching your head
Something that worked… but no one could explain why
Or maybe something you built and later realized needed way more clarity
Hit reply and tell me.
I’m gathering a few real-world stories for a future issue (anonymized, of course).
📘 Growing Into System Leadership?
This kind of thinking, tradeoffs, clear reasoning, and communication is what separates senior devs from architects.
If you want to dive deeper, check out the From Developer to Architect – 5 Day Crash Course.
It’s free, and it’ll walk you through key mindset shifts with short lessons and practical tools.
👋 Wrapping Up
Thanks for reading.
Remember: clarity scales. Cleverness rarely does.
See you next week,
Bogdan Colța
Tech Architect Insights