Reference Guide

How to Use This Reference

Four workflows for getting real value from the modules, the radar chart, and the evaluation checklist. Pick the one that matches your current situation.

1. New-Service Architecture Review

Use before committing to a design. Produces a scored baseline and a gap list you can attach to the design document.

1
Open the Radar Chart and score all 10 dimensions for the proposed service. Be honest about where you are today, not where you plan to be.
2
Walk through the Evaluation Checklist to verify nothing was missed. Each unchecked item is a conversation your team hasn't had yet.
3
Export your scores (JSON for records, Markdown for the design doc). Attach them to the design review artifact so the baseline is traceable.
4
For each dimension scoring below 2, open the corresponding module cards and review the tradeoffs. Decide which gaps are acceptable for this service and document the rationale.
✓

Output

A scored radar snapshot, a checklist pass, and a documented list of accepted gaps — enough to defend the design in review.

2. Engineer Onboarding Path

A guided reading order for engineers joining a team that builds distributed, AI-era systems.

1
Start with Module 01 — Paradigm Shift. Understand why the AI era changes the threat model and what “resilient by design” means in this context.
2
Read Module 02 — System Design for the core distributed-systems patterns: failure domains, caching, messaging, event-driven architecture.
3
Read Module 04 — Cyber Security to internalize security as a design constraint, not a bolt-on. Zero Trust, threat modeling, least privilege.
4
Read Module 05 — IA Systems for AI-native patterns: RAG, MCP, agent topologies, and human-in-the-loop.
5
Use Module 03 — Architecture Criteria to self-assess. Score the radar chart based on your understanding — low scores highlight knowledge gaps to prioritize.
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Tip

Don't try to absorb everything in one sitting. Expand one card at a time, and focus on the cards tagged Fundamental first.

3. Client-Facing Design Review

Use to assess a client's current architecture and show the delta your proposed improvements would deliver.

1
Score the client's current system using the Radar Chart. Export as JSON — this is the baseline.
2
Identify every dimension scoring 0 or 1. Open the corresponding module cards for specific criteria that apply to the client's context.
3
For each gap, document the proposed improvement and its tradeoff. Use the card content as the basis, adapted to the client's stack and constraints.
4
Re-score the radar with the proposed improvements applied. Export again. The two radar shapes side by side show the delta.
✓

Output

A before/after radar comparison with specific, tradeoff-aware recommendations — a deliverable, not a slide deck.

4. Quarterly Architecture Health Check

A recurring assessment to track architectural drift and catch regression before it becomes debt.

1
Re-score the Radar Chart for each production system. Compare against the previous quarter's exported JSON.
2
Flag any dimension that dropped or stalled. A drop from 2 to 1 on Observability is a concrete signal, not a feeling.
3
Run through the Evaluation Checklist as a quick audit pass. Any item that was checked last quarter but isn't true today is a regression worth discussing.
4
Document findings and assign owners for dimensions below the team's target threshold. Export the updated scores for next quarter's comparison.
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Cadence

Quarterly is a starting point. For rapidly evolving systems or teams adopting new AI patterns, monthly check-ins on the AI-Readiness and Security dimensions may be warranted.