The Modern Architecture Manifesto
A perspective on the principles we believe will define the next decade of system design.
We believe architecture is a process — not a document.
It doesn't live in a diagram. It lives in decisions. Those decisions must evolve with the system, not just precede it.
We believe rationale matters more than structure.
Knowing why a decision was made is as important as what was chosen. Tradeoffs must be recorded, not forgotten.
We believe architecture must be connected to delivery.
Architecture that doesn’t show up in CI/CD, config, or deployment is decoration — not direction.
We believe visibility is a prerequisite for alignment.
If stakeholders learn about architecture too late, it’s not governance — it’s overhead. Review should be proactive, role-aware, and time-scoped.
We believe review is a conversation, not a checkpoint.
The best architecture is shaped collaboratively — and preserved transparently. Review should reflect how modern teams actually work: async, distributed, and continuous.
We believe systems drift. Architecture must respond.
Documentation alone won't prevent drift. Architecture must be observable, auditable, and tethered to system behavior.
We believe architecture is a thread — not a stage.
From proposal to deployment to postmortem, architecture must carry its context forward. It is a living signal — not a static snapshot.
We believe AI will assist, not replace, architects.
LLMs can accelerate insight. But the responsibility to design systems with clarity, resilience, and intent remains human.
We believe governance should amplify trust, not slow delivery.
The best architecture governance models are invisible until needed — lightweight, event-driven, and auditable by design.
We believe the systems we build reflect the systems we are.
Architecture isn’t just technical — it’s social. Its structure must reflect shared ownership, mutual understanding, and systemic integrity.
This manifesto is a living document.
Published by the AedraForma editorial team.