Architecture Review Sync

At a Glance

The Architecture Review Sync brings together technical leaders to ensure architectural decisions align with program goals and maintain system integrity across multiple teams. This collaborative session identifies technical dependencies, resolves architectural conflicts, and keeps the overall system design coherent as teams deliver features independently.

• Purpose: Align on technical architecture and resolve cross-team technical dependencies

• Audience: System architects, technical leads, senior developers, and product management

• Expected Outcomes: Shared architectural vision, resolved technical blockers, and clear technical direction

POWERD Start

• Purpose: Ensure architectural decisions support program objectives while maintaining technical excellence and system coherence across multiple development teams.

• Outcomes: Clear architectural direction, resolved technical dependencies, identified integration points, updated technical roadmap, and alignment between business goals and technical implementation.

  • What's In Scope: Current architecture decisions, cross-team technical dependencies, integration patterns, technical debt that impacts multiple teams, emerging technology adoption, and architectural standards.

  • What's Out of Scope: Individual team implementation details, specific code reviews, detailed technical implementation discussions that don't affect other teams, and individual developer performance.

• WIIFM (What's In It For Me): Technical leads get clarity on architectural direction, teams understand how their work fits the bigger technical picture, and everyone gains confidence that technical decisions support long-term success.

• Engagement: Interactive discussion format with visual architecture diagrams, technical demonstrations when needed, and collaborative problem-solving sessions.

• Roles: System Architect facilitates technical discussions, RTE ensures program alignment, technical leads represent their teams, and Product Management provides business context.

• Documents: Current architecture diagrams, technical roadmap, cross-team dependency maps, and any relevant technical standards or guidelines.

What Is It?

The Architecture Review Sync is a regularly scheduled ceremony where technical leaders across program teams review architectural decisions, discuss technical dependencies, and ensure the overall system design remains coherent as teams work independently on different features.

Think of it as the technical equivalent of program planning, but focused specifically on how all the technical pieces fit together. While individual teams handle their own technical implementation details, this sync ensures everyone's technical work supports the broader system architecture.

What Are the Benefits of Architecture Review Sync?

Prevents technical conflicts before they become costly integration problems

Creates shared understanding of how different team's work connects technically

Identifies opportunities for reusable components and shared technical solutions

Maintains system performance and scalability as the program grows

When Should Teams Have Architecture Review Sync?

Hold Architecture Review Sync every two weeks during active development phases, or weekly during periods of significant architectural change. Schedule additional sessions before major releases or when new technical initiatives begin.

Some programs benefit from shorter weekly check-ins with deeper monthly reviews, especially when working with complex distributed systems or during periods of rapid technical change.

Who Should Attend Architecture Review Sync?

Core Attendees:

• System Architect or Chief Architect (facilitator)

• Technical leads from each development team

• RTE or Agile Delivery Lead

• Product Management representative

Optional Attendees:

• Senior developers working on integration points

• DevOps or platform team representatives

• Security architect when relevant

• External technical stakeholders for integration discussions

What Inputs Do Teams Need?

Teams should prepare current architecture diagrams, any proposed changes to system design, updates on technical dependencies, and a list of technical blockers or questions that affect other teams.

The system architect should have the current technical roadmap, updated dependency maps, and any relevant technical standards or guidelines. Product Management should provide context on upcoming features that might impact architectural decisions.

What Do Teams Get Out of It?

Teams leave with clear architectural direction, resolved technical dependencies, updated technical roadmap, and confidence that their technical decisions align with the overall system design.

The program gains a coherent technical vision, identified integration points, and proactive solutions to potential technical conflicts before they impact delivery timelines.

Preparing for Success

Team Preparation: Technical leads should review current architecture documentation, identify any proposed changes that might affect other teams, and prepare questions about technical dependencies or integration points.

System Architect Preparation: Update architecture diagrams, review any proposed changes from teams, and identify discussion topics that need cross-team input. Prepare visual materials to support technical discussions.

RTE Preparation: Review program timeline and upcoming features that might create technical dependencies. Gather any business context that might influence architectural decisions.

How Do Teams Facilitate Architecture Review Sync?

1. Opening Review (5 minutes): System Architect reviews current architectural state and any changes since the last sync.

2. Team Updates (15 minutes): Each technical lead briefly shares architectural changes, proposed modifications, or technical dependencies affecting other teams.

3. Dependency Discussion (20 minutes): Review cross-team technical dependencies, integration points, and any potential conflicts between team approaches.

4. Architecture Decisions (15 minutes): Discuss and decide on proposed architectural changes that affect multiple teams or the overall system design.

5. Technical Roadmap Alignment(10 minutes): Ensure upcoming technical work aligns with program objectives and doesn't create future integration problems.

6. Blocker Resolution (10 minutes): Address technical blockers that require cross-team collaboration or architectural guidance.

7. Standards and Guidelines (5 minutes): Review any updates to technical standards, coding guidelines, or architectural patterns teams should follow.

8. Action Items and Next Steps(5 minutes): Document decisions made, assign action items, and confirm what needs follow-up before the next sync.

How Do Teams Make Architecture Review Sync Successful?

• Focus on architectural decisions and technical dependencies rather than implementation details. Keep discussions at the right level of abstraction so all attendees can contribute meaningfully.

• Use visual aids like architecture diagrams, dependency maps, and system flow charts to make technical discussions clearer. When complex technical topics arise, consider scheduling separate deep-dive sessions with just the relevant technical experts.

• Encourage teams to bring architectural questions early rather than making assumptions. It's easier to adjust architectural direction during planning than to refactor after implementation.

What Are Common Mistakes in Architecture Review Sync?

Getting too deep into implementation details that only concern one team. Keep the focus on architectural decisions that affect multiple teams or the overall system design.

Skipping the sync when there seem to be no major architectural changes. Even routine syncs help maintain shared understanding and often surface issues before they become problems.

Having the wrong people in the room. This ceremony needs technical decision-makers who understand both their team's work and how it fits into the broader system architecture.

Prompts for Continuous Improvement

• Are teams getting the architectural guidance they need to make confident technical decisions?

• Do the architectural decisions made in this sync actually get implemented consistently across teams?

• Are potential technical conflicts being identified and resolved before they impact delivery?

• Is the time spent in architectural discussion proportional to the technical complexity of the program?

• Are teams leaving with actionable technical direction rather than just general guidance?

Start Your Architecture Review Sync

Begin by mapping your current technical dependencies and identifying the key architectural decision points that affect multiple teams, then schedule your first sync to establish shared technical direction.