Owner: Enterprise Architecture · Process: ARB Review · Review Cycle: Per decision
An Architecture Decision Record (ADR) is a document that captures an important architectural or technology decision, along with the context in which it was made and the consequences of that decision. ADRs provide a durable audit trail that helps future architects and engineers understand why things are the way they are.
All significant technology decisions — new platform adoptions, deprecations, changes to the reference architecture — must be documented as an ADR and reviewed by the Architecture Review Board (ARB).
Raise an ADR when the decision:
You do not need an ADR for: implementation decisions within an already-approved technology (e.g. which EC2 instance type to use), tactical configuration choices, or decisions already covered by existing standards.
# ADR-{number}: {Short Title}
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Status:** [Proposed | Accepted | Superseded | Deprecated]
**Deciders:** [Name / Role of key decision-makers]
**Reviewed by:** ARB — [date]
---
## Context
[Describe the situation that requires a decision. What problem are we trying to solve?
What forces or constraints are in play? What options were considered?]
## Decision
[State the decision clearly. "We will..." or "We have decided to..."]
## Rationale
[Why was this option chosen over alternatives?
Reference any evaluations, proofs of concept, or external guidance.]
## Alternatives Considered
| Option | Pros | Cons | Reason Rejected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option A | ... | ... | ... |
| Option B | ... | ... | ... |
## Consequences
### Positive
- [List positive outcomes]
### Negative / Trade-offs
- [List trade-offs or downsides accepted]
### Risks & Mitigations
- [List residual risks and how they are mitigated]
## Implementation Notes
[Key implementation guidance, dependencies, or migration path if relevant]
## References
- [Links to relevant documentation, evaluations, vendor guides]
| ADR | Title | Date | Status | Domain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADR-001 | Adopt Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN for branch WAN | 2024-06-10 | Accepted | Network |
| ADR-002 | Migrate endpoint management from SCCM to Intune | 2024-09-15 | Accepted | Desktop |
| ADR-003 | Adopt Microsoft Sentinel as primary SIEM | 2025-01-20 | Accepted | Cyber |
| ADR-004 | EKS as primary managed Kubernetes platform | 2025-03-08 | Accepted | Compute |
| ADR-005 | Mandate FIDO2 phishing-resistant MFA for privileged accounts | 2025-06-22 | Accepted | Cyber |
| ADR-006 | Replace Symantec DLP with Microsoft Purview Information Protection | 2026-02-14 | In Progress | Cyber/Desktop |
| ADR-007 | Adopt Windows Autopilot as sole provisioning method for corporate PCs | 2026-03-01 | Accepted | Desktop |
DRAFT
│ Author writes ADR using template
▼
PROPOSED
│ Submitted to ARB for review (minimum 5 business days notice)
▼
ARB REVIEW
│ Board discusses, questions, and challenges the proposal
├── Accepted → Status: ACCEPTED → Published to wiki, Standards Register updated
├── Deferred → Author addresses feedback, resubmit
└── Rejected → ADR recorded as REJECTED with rationale
│
▼
ACCEPTED (active)
│ Implementation proceeds, monitored in project tracker
│
▼
SUPERSEDED (if a later decision replaces this one)
│ Original ADR updated with "Superseded by ADR-NNN"
The Architecture Review Board meets fortnightly on Tuesdays at 14:00 GMT.
#arch-decisions Slack channel within 24 hours.ARB Chair: Enterprise Architect
Meeting invite: arch-review-board@company.com
git@internal:arch/wiki-content.git (/governance/adr/)