architecture-review-criteria

name	architecture-review-criteria
description	Use when reviewing DESIGN artefacts (event models, ADRs, component diagrams, context maps, interface contracts) for quality, DDD compliance, and architectural correctness. Contains gate definitions and scoring rubric for the solution-architect-reviewer lenses.

Architecture Review Criteria

Overview

9 gates across 3 lenses, applied by the solution-architect-reviewer agent to DESIGN artefacts. Gates enforce DDD correctness, Clean Architecture compliance, and fitness for the stories in scope.

Applied by: solution-architect-reviewer Applied to: ADRs, event models, component diagrams, context maps, interface contracts Prior phase required: DESIGN artefacts from solution-architect

---

Gate Definitions

Lens 1 — consistency-lens

Evaluates: ADRs + diagrams + contracts

Gate	Definition	Pass condition	Severity
G1	Every structural element in a diagram (aggregate, bounded context, pattern) has a traceable ADR justification. No element exists without an architectural rationale.	All structural elements in all diagrams reference at least one ADR.	HIGH
G2	No two ADRs contradict each other. If one ADR supersedes another, the superseded ADR is marked Superseded by ADR-{NNN}.	Zero contradicting decisions across all ADRs. Zero un-linked supersessions.	BLOCKER

Lens 2 — architecture-compliance-lens

Evaluates: diagrams + contracts + event models

Gate	Definition	Pass condition	Severity
G3	Dependency rule: Domain and Application layers have no dependencies on Infrastructure or API layers.	Zero imports of Infrastructure or API types in Domain or Application contracts.	BLOCKER
G4	All application interfaces (repositories, gateways, event publishers) are defined in the Application layer contracts. None are defined in Infrastructure.	Zero infrastructure-defined interfaces in contracts. All I* interfaces listed under Application layer.	BLOCKER
G5	Each aggregate enforces its own invariants. No aggregate enforces invariants that belong to another aggregate.	Zero cross-aggregate invariant references in contracts or diagrams.	HIGH
G6	Context map declares every inter-context relationship with an explicit pattern (ACL, Conformist, Shared Kernel, Partnership, Open Host Service, Published Language).	Zero unlabelled arrows between bounded contexts in context-map.md.	HIGH

Lens 3 — fitness-lens

Evaluates: diagrams + contracts + stories

Gate	Definition	Pass condition	Severity
G7	Every story from DISCUSS maps to at least one command, event, or read model in the event model.	All story IDs from stories-{milestone}.md appear in at least one event model slice.	HIGH
G8	Every command in contracts has at least one corresponding domain event. No dangling commands.	Zero commands without a corresponding domain event in contracts or diagrams.	HIGH
G9	No aggregate, bounded context, Event Sourcing adoption, or Saga is introduced without a traceable story justification.	Zero unjustified architectural elements. Every element traces back to a story ID.	MEDIUM

---

Severity Definitions

Severity	Definition	Impact
BLOCKER	Fundamental violation that invalidates the architecture. Cannot proceed to DISTILL.	Forces rejected verdict
HIGH	Significant flaw that will cause problems in DISTILL or implementation. Requires correction.	Forces changes_requested verdict
MEDIUM	Design smell or sub-optimal choice. Correction recommended before DISTILL.	Forces changes_requested verdict
LOW	Minor inconsistency or style issue. Can be noted and tracked.	May still yield approved with notes

---

Verdict Derivation Table

Condition	Verdict
≥1 BLOCKER finding	rejected
≥1 HIGH finding, 0 BLOCKERs	changes_requested
MEDIUM findings only, 0 HIGH, 0 BLOCKER	changes_requested
LOW findings only	approved (with notes)
Zero findings	approved

---

DDD Compliance Rules Summary

1. Aggregates are identified by the invariants they enforce, not by their data
2. Cross-aggregate references use IDs only — never object references
3. Domain events are raised by aggregate roots, not application services
4. Repository interfaces live in Application layer, not Domain or Infrastructure
5. Bounded context boundaries map to language boundaries — if the same word means different things, there is a boundary
6. Context map relationships are explicit and labelled — implicit dependencies are forbidden
7. Subdomains are classified (Core/Supporting/Generic) and the investment level is justified

---

YAGNI Detection Heuristics

Apply during G9 evaluation:

Element	Question to ask
New bounded context	Which story requires this context to be separate?
New aggregate	Which invariant does this aggregate enforce? Which story produces that invariant?
Event Sourcing	Which story requires audit trail or temporal queries?
Saga	Which cross-aggregate workflow spans multiple stories?
ACL	Which conflicting model in the upstream context makes translation necessary?

If the answer is "none" or "future needs" — flag as G9 MEDIUM violation.

---

References

• gate-definitions.md — Detailed checklist per gate (G1–G9) with step-by-step checks
• ddd-violations.md — 8 DDD violation patterns detectable in artefacts
• clean-arch-violations.md — 8 Clean Architecture violations detectable in contracts and diagrams
• verdict-rubric.md — Verdict derivation, confidence levels, and 3 example review verdicts