Chapter 3 draws the boundary of your system. If it is unclear what is inside and outside, integrations and expectations will break first. In this article I show what belongs in chapter 3, what to keep out, and a minimal structure you can copy, plus a small example from Pitstop.

Chapter 2 lists the non-negotiables that shape your design space. If you do not write these down early, they will still exist, but they will surprise you later. In this article I show what belongs in chapter 2, what to keep out, and a minimal structure you can copy, plus a small example from Pitstop.

Chapter 1 sets the direction for the entire architecture document. If you do not know why you are building this and who it is for, you cannot design it properly. In this article I show what belongs in chapter 1, what to keep out, and a minimal structure you can copy, plus a small example from Pitstop.

After my "The Art of Simple Software Architecture Documentation" talk, a surprising number of people asked for the slides because they saw the deck as a reference guide. This post is the starting point: why arc42 works so well, how I approach it in practice, and how this series will grow over time, without pretending it is finished on day one.