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ADR-NNNN: Short title of the decision

  • Status: Proposed | Accepted | Superseded by ADR-XXXX
  • Date: YYYY-MM-DD
  • Deciders: Names

Context

What problem are we solving? What forces are at play? What constraints exist (Federal compliance, hardware, license, time)? Be specific — the context is what makes the decision defensible later.

Decision

What did we pick? State it in one or two sentences, then expand. The decision should be unambiguous and actionable.

Alternatives considered

For each viable alternative we did not pick, write a short paragraph covering what it is, why it was a real option, and the specific reason we ruled it out. Federal evaluators look here first to gauge engineering seriousness — hand-waving here destroys credibility.

  • Alternative A —
  • Alternative B —
  • Alternative C —

Consequences

What does this commit us to, good and bad? List both. If this decision creates a new constraint for future work, name it explicitly.

Positive

-

Negative / accepted trade-offs

-

References

  • Links to specs, vendor docs, prior ADRs, customer requirements, etc.