architecture-design

# Architecture Design Skill

Design system architecture and make strategic technical decisions.

## Core Principle

**Good architecture enables change while maintaining simplicity.**

## Architecture vs Planning

**Architecture Design (this skill):**

- Strategic: "How should the system be structured?"
- Component interactions and boundaries
- Technology and pattern choices
- Long-term implications
- System-level decisions

**Technical Planning (technical-planning skill):**

- Tactical: "How do I implement feature X?"
- Specific implementation tasks
- Execution details
- Short-term focus

**Use architecture when:**

- Designing new systems or subsystems
- Major refactors affecting multiple components
- Technology selection decisions
- Defining system boundaries and interfaces
- Making decisions with long-term impact

**Use planning when:**

- Implementing within existing architecture
- Breaking down specific features
- Task sequencing and execution

## Architecture Process

### 1. Understand Context

**Business context:**

- What problem are we solving?
- Who are the users?
- What are the business goals?
- What are the success metrics?

**Technical context:**

- What exists today?
- What constraints exist?
- What must we integrate with?
- What scale must we support?

**Team context:**

- What's our expertise?
- What can we maintain?
- What's our velocity?

### 2. Gather Requirements

**Functional requirements:**

- What must the system do?
- What are the features?
- What are the user scenarios?

**Non-functional requirements:**

- **Performance**: Response time, throughput
- **Scalability**: Expected load, growth
- **Availability**: Uptime requirements
- **Security**: Compliance, data protection
- **Maintainability**: Team size, skills
- **Cost**: Budget constraints

**Example:**

```markdown
## Requirements

### Functional
- Users can search products by name/category
- Users can add items to cart
- Users can checkout and pay

### Non-Functional
- Search response ti