Architecture should identify stability without impeding essential innovation. Architectural decisions should be reached only when there is an expectation they will remain relevant and appropriate for at least a year. Architecture decisions should describe the tangible results of conformance and non-conformance with the architecture. Every architectural decision should include enumeration of the costs and benefits of standardization in the given area, making sensible judgments on such tradeoffs. Architectural decisions should provide sufficient documentation to assess the compliance of a specific implementation.
Architecture provides guidelines for appropriate innovation.
Each decision should provide criteria or references for evaluating specific implementations for their compliance.