Architecture Skill
Purpose
Review system architecture, design patterns, data flow, and structural decisions for scalability, maintainability, and best practices.
When to Use
- •During Gate 2 (design completeness)
- •For new feature architecture
- •For refactoring decisions
- •For microservices/module boundaries
- •For database schema design
Checklist
Critical (P0) - Must Pass
- • Clear separation of concerns
- • No circular dependencies
- • Data flow is traceable
- • Error boundaries defined
- • No architectural anti-patterns
Important (P1) - Should Pass
- • Consistent design patterns used
- • Module boundaries well-defined
- • Dependencies injected (not hardcoded)
- • Configuration externalized
- • Scalability considered
Nice-to-have (P2) - Informational
- • Documentation reflects architecture
- • ADRs (Architecture Decision Records) present
- • Monitoring hooks planned
- • Feature flags for gradual rollout
- • Migration path documented
Suggestions (P3) - Optional
- • Future scaling considerations
- • Technology upgrade paths
- • Alternative approaches considered
- • Technical debt items identified
Pass Criteria
| Level | Requirement |
|---|---|
| P0 | All items pass |
| P1 | Max 2 failures |
| P2 | Informational |
| P3 | Optional |
Evidence Output
Path: .tad/evidence/reviews/{date}-architecture-{task}.md
Execution Contract
- •Input: file_paths[], diagrams[], context{}
- •Output: {passed: bool, findings: [{severity, category, component, description, recommendation}], evidence_path: string}
- •Timeout: 240s
- •Parallelizable: true
Claude Enhancement
When running on Claude Code, call subagent backend-architect for deeper analysis.
Reference: .tad/templates/output-formats/architecture-review-format.md
Architecture Review Categories
Structural Patterns
- •Layered architecture
- •Clean architecture
- •Hexagonal/ports-adapters
- •Event-driven
- •Microservices boundaries
Data Architecture
- •Database schema design
- •Data flow patterns
- •Caching strategies
- •Data consistency models
- •Migration strategies
Integration Patterns
- •API design
- •Message queues
- •Event sourcing
- •CQRS considerations
- •Third-party integrations
Quality Attributes
- •Scalability
- •Maintainability
- •Testability
- •Observability
- •Reliability
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
- •God classes/modules
- •Circular dependencies
- •Tight coupling
- •Leaky abstractions
- •Premature optimization