| name | architecture-standards |
| description | BMAD Architecture methodology, quality standards, and reference data for creating architecture decision documents. Use when: working with architecture documents, checking architecture quality standards, understanding architecture methodology. |
BMAD Architecture Standards
Philosophy: Architecture for AI Agent Consistency
A BMAD Architecture Document serves two audiences simultaneously:
- Human stakeholders - Technical leads, architects, and developers who need clear architectural guidance and rationale
- LLM downstream consumers - AI agents handling implementation, code generation, and development who need precise, unambiguous patterns to follow
The architecture document ensures all AI agents implement consistently — preventing conflicts in naming, structure, communication patterns, and process decisions.
Core Quality Standards
Decision Completeness
Every architectural decision must be:
- Explicit - No implicit assumptions or "standard practice" shortcuts
- Versioned - Specific technology versions, not "latest"
- Rationale-backed - Why this choice was made
- Scoped - What components/areas it affects
Pattern Specificity
Implementation patterns must be concrete enough that two independent AI agents would produce compatible code:
- Naming conventions with examples (good and bad)
- Structure patterns with exact file/directory paths
- Communication patterns with payload formats
- Process patterns with error handling approaches
Structure Concreteness
Project structure must be:
- Complete directory trees, not generic placeholders
- Technology-specific, not abstract
- Mapped to requirements/epics
- Include all configuration, source, test, and build files
What Makes a Good Architecture Document
Required Document Sections
- Project Context Analysis - Requirements overview, scale assessment, constraints
- Starter Template Evaluation - Technology domain, starter selection, rationale
- Core Architectural Decisions - Data, auth, API, frontend, infrastructure decisions with versions
- Implementation Patterns - Naming, structure, format, communication, process patterns
- Project Structure - Complete directory tree, boundaries, requirement mapping
- Architecture Validation Results - Coherence, coverage, readiness assessment
Anti-Patterns to Detect and Fix
- Decisions without version numbers
- Generic structure placeholders instead of specific trees
- Missing rationale for technology choices
- Patterns without concrete examples
- Inconsistent naming across different pattern categories
- Requirements not mapped to architectural components
Reference Data
For project classification and starter template guidance:
