By name: architecture-review-criteria description: Use when reviewing DESIGN artefacts (event models, ADRs, component diagrams, context maps, interface contracts) for quality, DDD compliance, architectural correctness, and prohibition of negative or baseline-restating ADRs. Contains gate definitions and scoring rubric for the solution-architect-reviewer lenses.
Architecture Review Criteria
Overview
15 gates across 3 lenses, applied by the solution-architect-reviewer agent to DESIGN artefacts. Gates enforce DDD correctness, Clean Architecture compliance, persona-side consistency gate integrity, prohibition of negative or baseline-restating ADRs, and fitness for the stories in scope.
Applied by: solution-architect-reviewer
Applied to: ADRs, event models, component diagrams, context maps, interface contracts, consistency matrices, supersession plans, blocker files
Prior phase required: DESIGN artefacts from solution-architect (Phases 1–10 complete; no open blocker file)
Gate Definitions
Lens 1 — consistency-lens
Evaluates: ADRs + diagrams + contracts + consistency-matrix + supersession-plan + blockers
| Gate | Definition | Pass condition | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Every structural element in a diagram (aggregate, bounded context, pattern) AND every complexity-adding pattern actually present in the source tree (CQRS+Bus, Event Sourcing, Saga) has a traceable ADR justification. No element exists without an architectural rationale. | All structural elements in all diagrams AND all detected source-tree patterns reference at least one ADR. | BLOCKER |
| G2 | No two ADRs contradict each other. Supersession links are bidirectional: superseded ADR carries Superseded by ADR-{NNN}; new ADR carries Supersedes: ADR-{MMM}. |
Zero contradicting decisions across all ADRs. Zero broken supersession links. | BLOCKER |
| G10 | A consistency-matrix-{story}.md exists for every story under design and its consistency-gate cell is PASS. The back-propagation journal explains every rewrite. |
Matrix file present and PASS for every story; journal complete. | BLOCKER |
| G12 | Every row in supersession-plan-{story}.md is fully realised: bidirectional ADR links present, AND no descriptive artefact still cites the superseded ADR. |
Plan rows = realised supersessions; zero stale citations. | BLOCKER |
| G14 | No ADR encodes the verdict in the FILENAME: filenames must name the topic (adr-NNN-event-sourcing.md), never carry a verdict suffix (*-rejected.md, *-accepted.md, *-deprecated.md, *-superseded.md). The verdict belongs in the Status: frontmatter (Proposed | Accepted | Rejected | Deprecated | Superseded). A Status: Rejected ADR is admissible IFF a story or measurable force in this batch raised the question (per G9 traceability) AND the Alternatives Rejected section lists the option that was adopted instead. A Rejected ADR with no triggering story is a non-decision artefact. |
Zero verdict-bearing filenames; every Status: Rejected ADR traces to a triggering story and names the adopted alternative. |
BLOCKER |
Lens 2 — architecture-compliance-lens
Evaluates: diagrams + contracts + event models
| Gate | Definition | Pass condition | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| G3 | Dependency rule: Domain and Application layers have no dependencies on Infrastructure or API layers. | Zero imports of Infrastructure or API types in Domain or Application contracts. | BLOCKER |
| G4 | All application interfaces (repositories, gateways, event publishers) are defined in the Application layer contracts. None are defined in Infrastructure. | Zero infrastructure-defined interfaces in contracts. All I* interfaces listed under Application layer. | BLOCKER |
| G5 | Each aggregate enforces its own invariants. No aggregate enforces invariants that belong to another aggregate. | Zero cross-aggregate invariant references in contracts or diagrams. | HIGH |
| G6 | Context map declares every inter-context relationship with an explicit pattern (ACL, Conformist, Shared Kernel, Partnership, Open Host Service, Published Language) AND every label is admissible: (a) no relationship labelled Conformist has a Core subdomain as its downstream; (b) no relationship labelled Conformist is in fact a published contract consumed with a local copy or translation (that is OHS/PL upstream + ACL downstream, see V-DDD-09 / V-DDD-10). |
Zero unlabelled arrows between bounded contexts in context-map.md AND zero inadmissible labels. | HIGH |
Lens 3 — fitness-lens
Evaluates: diagrams + contracts + stories + ADRs
| Gate | Definition | Pass condition | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| G7 | Every story from DISCUSS maps to at least one trigger (Command or Query) in the event model. | All story IDs from stories-{milestone}.md appear in at least one event model slice with either a Command or a Query trigger. | HIGH |
| G8 | Every Command in contracts has at least one corresponding domain event. Queries are exempt. No dangling commands. | Zero Commands without a corresponding domain event. | HIGH |
| G9 | No aggregate, bounded context, Event Sourcing adoption, or Saga is introduced without a traceable story justification. | Zero unjustified architectural elements. Every element traces back to a story ID. | MEDIUM |
| G11 | Every ADR adopting a complexity-adding pattern (CQRS, Event Sourcing, Saga, eventual consistency, micro-service split, ACL) cites at least one admissible force in Context AND includes "do without the pattern" in Alternatives Rejected. "Consistency with existing code" alone is not admissible. |
All such ADRs pass both checks. | HIGH |
| G15 | No ADR documents a baseline already enforced by project skills or architecture tests as if it were a free decision. Topics already baseline-enforced (CQS at method level, Clean Architecture layer boundaries, convention-based DI handler registration, repository pattern) require an EXTENSION ADR (e.g., Introduce a CQRS Dispatch Bus on top of CQS baseline, Add pipeline behaviors), not a restatement. |
Zero ADRs whose Decision merely restates a baseline already enforced by a project skill or architecture test. | HIGH |
Cross-cutting — escalation gate
| Gate | Definition | Pass condition | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| G13 | No open blocker file exists under .skraft/sdlc/design/blockers/ with frontmatter status: awaiting_human. |
All blocker files resolved or absent. | BLOCKER |
Severity Definitions
| Severity | Definition | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| BLOCKER | Fundamental violation that invalidates the architecture. Cannot proceed to DISTILL. | Forces rejected verdict |
| HIGH | Significant flaw that will cause problems in DISTILL or implementation. Requires correction. | Forces changes_requested verdict |
| MEDIUM | Design smell or sub-optimal choice. Correction recommended before DISTILL. | Forces changes_requested verdict |
| LOW | Minor inconsistency or style issue. Can be noted and tracked. | May still yield approved with notes |
Verdict Derivation Table
| Condition | Verdict |
|---|---|
| G13 fires (any open blocker file) | rejected — escalation pending |
| ≥1 BLOCKER finding | rejected |
| ≥1 HIGH finding, 0 BLOCKERs | changes_requested |
| MEDIUM findings only, 0 HIGH, 0 BLOCKER | changes_requested |
| LOW findings only | approved (with notes) |
| Zero findings | approved |
DDD Compliance Rules Summary
- Aggregates are identified by the invariants they enforce, not by their data
- Cross-aggregate references use IDs only — never object references
- Domain events are raised by aggregate roots, not application services
- Repository interfaces live in Application layer, not Domain or Infrastructure
- Bounded context boundaries map to language boundaries — if the same word means different things, there is a boundary
- Context map relationships are explicit and labelled — implicit dependencies are forbidden
- Subdomains are classified (Core/Supporting/Generic) and the investment level is justified
- A Core subdomain is never the downstream of a
Conformistrelationship — it protects its Ubiquitous Language via an ACL. Consuming a published contract (ViewModel/event/DTO) with a local copy or translation is OHS/PL + ACL, never Conformist, regardless of how trivial the translation is
YAGNI Detection Heuristics
Apply during G9 evaluation:
| Element | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| New bounded context | Which story requires this context to be separate? |
| New aggregate | Which invariant does this aggregate enforce? Which story produces that invariant? |
| Event Sourcing | Which story requires audit trail or temporal queries? |
| Saga | Which cross-aggregate workflow spans multiple stories? |
| ACL | Which conflicting model in the upstream context makes translation necessary, OR is the downstream a Core subdomain protecting its Ubiquitous Language? |
If the answer is "none" or "future needs" — flag as G9 MEDIUM violation.
References
- gate-definitions.md — Detailed checklist per gate (G1–G9) with step-by-step checks
- ddd-violations.md — 10 DDD violation patterns detectable in artefacts
- clean-arch-violations.md — 8 Clean Architecture violations detectable in contracts and diagrams
- verdict-rubric.md — Verdict derivation, confidence levels, and 3 example review verdicts