Every system relies on compromise. Problems arise when those trade-offs are undocumented. Untracked decisions become silent risks that degrade the system over time. Robust architectures make trade-offs explicit and preserve decision logic.
What is an architectural compromise ledger
A compromise ledger is a minimal artifact that:
- records technical trade-offs made under constraint
- captures the reasoning, context, and time bounds
- supports future teams in revisiting past choices
It exists to preserve architectural memory, not to assign fault.
What to record
Each entry should include:
- Decision ID: short unique reference
- Context: situation and constraints at the time
- Options considered: paths evaluated
- Chosen compromise: what was selected and why
- Risks accepted: what was knowingly deferred or exposed
- Review trigger: when this decision should be re-examined
- Status: active, replaced, or retired
Integrating the ledger
Keep it light. Use Markdown or similar tools, not rigid forms. Link to existing ADRs where available. Update the ledger after incidents, postmortems, or when technical debt is re-evaluated. Review entries during architecture reviews or regular audits.
Healthy ledger practices
- New engineers can trace the logic behind technical choices.
- Incident response is faster and more informed.
- Technical debt discussions shift from blame to structured review.
Without a ledger
- Trade-offs are forgotten, leading to fragile systems.
- Teams overestimate the certainty of past decisions.
- Architectural decay accelerates without clear review points.