Architecture Pattern — Failures

Pattern: Architecture
Component: failures.md
Version: 1.1 | Updated: 2026-07-16

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Failure 1: Slide-only architecture

Symptom: Implementers invent APIs; diagrams contradict code.
Cause: No ADR decision record.
Recovery: Write ADR; freeze interfaces; replan.

Failure 2: Single alternative / tool shopping

Symptom: “Use Kafka” with no comparison to sync or queue alternatives.
Cause: Solution-first thinking.
Recovery: Score ≥2 options against QA scenarios; record rejects.

Failure 3: Self-approved High risk

Symptom: Author approved multi-region PII design alone.
Cause: Missing SoD.
Recovery: Invalidate acceptance; independent review.

Failure 4: No failure walk

Symptom: First dependency outage cascades globally.
Cause: Happy-path-only design.
Recovery: Run Failure Walker; add mitigations; amend ADR.

Failure 5: Silent implementation drift

Symptom: Services share a DB though ADR forbade it.
Cause: Coding without ADR conformance check.
Recovery: Stop feature work; amend or revert to ADR; re-approve.