Key Concepts
Review these important points before starting the quiz
Architecture is about decisions: Every design choice must be justified, documented, and traceable to requirements
Architects translate business to technical: The architect's role is to bridge business objectives with technical solutions
Requirements drive design: Functional requirements define what the system does; non-functional requirements define how it performs
Assumptions are risks: Undocumented assumptions can invalidate designs when conditions change
Constraints are non-negotiable: Unlike requirements, constraints define fixed boundaries that must be respected
Three design phases: Conceptual (stakeholder alignment), Logical (component relationships), Physical (product selection)
Conceptual design aligns stakeholders: High-level solution intent before diving into technical details
Logical design is technology-agnostic: Defines components and relationships without binding to specific products
Physical design is product-specific: Maps logical components to actual technologies, vendors, and configurations
Risk mitigation is mandatory: Every identified risk must have a documented response strategy
Defensible decisions require trade-off analysis: Show alternatives considered, criteria used, and why this choice aligns with requirements
Context matters more than best practices: 'Best practice' alone is insufficient; justify why it applies to this specific situation
Documentation enables evolution: Designs must be revisitable when requirements, constraints, or assumptions change
Design artifacts serve different audiences: Conceptual for executives, logical for architects, physical for engineers