Architecture & Decisions
Most architecture problems in large programs aren't new. They're decisions made years ago, under different constraints, that no one has gone back to question. Platform choices, integration patterns, and security boundaries harden into assumptions, and the cost of revisiting them grows every year they go unexamined.
These articles look at how to tell a real constraint from an inherited one, when an old decision deserves a second look, and how to review new proposals with the rigor they need. That includes proposals drafted with AI tools: they arrive fast and read confidently, but in high-stakes environments a plausible design that nobody has properly checked is a liability, and accountability has to stay with people who understand the system and the mission.
They also cover the role that holds this together. Large programs often have plenty of engineers and still lack someone accountable for how the whole system fits. An independent architect questions assumptions, weighs tradeoffs across teams and vendors, and gives leadership a candid view of risk that isn't tied to any one contract or product.
Download the one-page brief (PDF)
Articles
