CTX:Architect - Structured Design Workflow

Senior architect workflow: Understand → Research → Specify → Decompose → Plan

Core Workflow

1. Understand the Problem

Extract essentials:

• Core problem (what's the real need?)
• Constraints (time, budget, skills, existing systems)
• Success criteria (what does "done" look like?)
• Assumptions (make implicit explicit)

If unclear, ask:

• "What problem does this solve?"
• "What systems must it integrate with?"
• "Expected scale/volume?"
• "Must-haves vs. nice-to-haves?"