Architecture governance
On this page 9 topics
Overview
Topics
- RFCs
- design reviews
- exception processes
Learn first
3 h of practice (estimate)
Learning outcomes
- Run an RFC process with clear scope, reviewers, and decision deadlines.
- Facilitate design reviews that improve designs without becoming gatekeeping.
- Define an exception process for deviations from standards, with expiry and follow-up.
- Calibrate governance weight to decision reversibility and blast radius.
Lessons
Lab and exercises
Lab
SRB-012-LAB1 · Program governance
Outcomes: 1–4 · Time: ~3 h
- Write the RFC template, review cadence, and exception process for the FulfillCo program, including tiers by reversibility and blast radius.
- Run two reviews with role-played team leads: one on a hard-to-reverse cross-team change, one on a local change.
- Record decisions, concerns, and any exception raised.
Acceptance: both RFCs reach a decision within the deadline.
Exercises (assessment: review facilitation)
| ID | Outcome | Task |
|---|---|---|
| SRB-012-EX01 | 1 | Case: an RFC has no owner, no deadline, and 40 comments. Write the process fixes and the decision note. |
| SRB-012-EX02 | 1 | Write an RFC outline (headings plus one line each) for choosing the shipment-status event contract. |
| SRB-012-EX03 | 2 | Review a log of a design review where the reviewer added new requirements at the end. Rewrite the closing minutes. |
| SRB-012-EX04 | 3 | Write an exception record for a team that needs a non-standard database for one service, with expiry and follow-up. |
| SRB-012-EX05 | 4 | Classify five changes (new logging library, public event schema, rename internal class, new datastore, change of retry timeout) into governance tiers. |
| SRB-012-EX06 | 2 | Case: a review ends with "let's think about it". Write what the facilitator says to get a decision. |
Show solutions
- EX01 Name a decision owner, state a decision date, require comments by a deadline, group comments into blockers and suggestions, record the outcome with reasons.
- EX02 Headings: context, goals/non-goals, options (stream, polling, webhook), recommendation, risks, rollout, reviewers, decision deadline.
- EX03 Minutes list required changes with owners, move new ideas to a follow-up list, state the decision (accepted with changes) and the confirmation date.
- EX04 Record: standard, deviation, reason, risk, mitigation (own backup and monitoring), owner, expiry (for example six months), review action.
- EX05 Logging library: none or note. Rename: none. Retry timeout: peer note. Public event schema: full RFC. New datastore: design review or RFC depending on blast radius.
- EX06 Restate options and criteria, ask for the remaining blocking concern, then state a decision or a dated next step with an owner.
- Outcome 4 is also covered by the lab (two tiers of review).
Workplace evidence: an RFC or review process you introduced and its effect on decision time.
Quiz
Outcomes: O1 RFC process · O2 design reviews · O3 exceptions · O4 right-sizing.
A self-check for you: nothing is graded, saved or sent anywhere. Choose an answer, then check it. You can try again as often as you like.
Practical part
Facilitate a review of a peer's or role-player's proposal (SRB-012 assessment) and complete SRB-012-LAB1. Pass: at least 8/10 on the quiz, a review that ends in a recorded decision, and both lab RFCs decided within the deadline.
Common mistakes
Reviews without decisions; one process for every change size.
Assessment
Review facilitation.
Workplace evidence
An RFC or review process you introduced and its effect on decision time.
Career relevance
Architecture governance at scale (STF-003) and review boards (ARC-035).