architecture-lens
Architecture Lens
Review code-level structure using Richards and Ford's Fundamentals of Software Architecture and Practical Model-Driven Enterprise Architecture. Judge ease of change through coupling, placement, cohesion, dependency direction, and scope. A real choice has a tradeoff; state its cost without manufacturing alternatives to settled decisions.
Use macro-architecture for system style, domain-driven-design for domain modeling, and full-review for a correctness or security review.
Select the lens
| Decision or review | Method to load |
|---|---|
| Unresolved approach, boundary, library, sync/async, or build/reuse choice | Lens 1: references/decision-review.md |
| Tangled code or deciding what to split, extract, or merge | Lens 2: references/coupling-review.md |
| Layer placement, cohesion, dependency direction, or scope in a diff or design | Lenses 3–6: references/structural-review.md |
Combine methods only when the question needs them. Inspect the affected code and its contracts; a local boundary review does not require mapping the whole repository. Reuse existing design decisions and evidence.
Connascence ranks coupling by strength × locality × degree. Strong coupling can be acceptable locally; distant dynamic coupling deserves attention. Keep the smallest coherent shape: remove speculative scope without introducing more indirection than the change needs.