Technical Decision Records¶

Library AreaTemplate Library

Current PageTechnical Decision Records

FocusTechnical decisions

UseRecord design decisions and tradeoffs

Repository Areadocs/template-library/design/

← Previous Error and Exception Design

Current Technical Decision Records

Next → Design Review

Template purpose¶

Use this template to record important detailed design decisions.

Technical Decision Records complement Architecture Decision Records. ADRs capture architecture-level choices; TDRs capture detailed design choices that affect implementation, testing, maintainability, security, evidence, operations, or AI behavior.

Project¶

<Project name>

Document control¶

Field	Value
Artifact owner	`<owner>`
Primary reviewers	`<reviewers>`
Status	`<draft / in review / accepted / revised>`
Last updated	`<YYYY-MM-DD>`
Related Engineering Stage	`ES-105 — Detailed Design`
Project workspace target	`docs/project-workspace/design/technical_decision_records.md`

TDR index¶

TDR ID	Decision Title	Status	Related ADR	Related Requirements	Supersedes
TDR-001	`<decision title>`	`<proposed / accepted / superseded / deferred>`	`<ADR>`	`<requirements>`	`<TDR-ID or none>`

TDR format¶

TDR-001 — `<Decision Title>`¶

Field	Value
Status	`<proposed / accepted / superseded / deferred>`
Date	`<date>`
Decision Owner	`<owner>`
Reviewers	`<reviewers>`
Related Architecture Decision	`<ADR>`
Related Requirements	`<requirements>`
Related Design Artifacts	`<interface, data, workflow, access-control, AI, error design>`
Supersedes	`<TDR-ID or none>`
Superseded By	`<TDR-ID or none>`

Context¶

<context>

Decision drivers¶

Driver	Source	Importance
`<driver>`	`<requirement, ADR, risk, quality attribute, implementation concern>`	`<high / medium / low>`

Options considered¶

Option	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages / Risks
`<option>`	`<description>`	`<advantages>`	`<disadvantages or risks>`

Decision¶

<decision>

Rationale¶

<rationale>

Consequences¶

Positive:

<consequence>

Tradeoffs:

<tradeoff>

Verification impact¶

<impact>

Implementation impact¶

<impact>

Evidence, security, AI, or operational implications¶

Area	Implication
Evidence	`<implication>`
Security / privacy	`<implication>`
AI behavior	`<implication or not applicable>`
Operations / monitoring	`<implication>`
Maintainability	`<implication>`

Review notes¶

<notes>

Deferred or rejected technical decisions¶

Decision Area	Reason Deferred / Rejected	Revisit Trigger
`<decision area>`	`<reason>`	`<trigger>`

Review checklist¶

[ ] Important detailed design decisions are recorded.
[ ] Alternatives and rationale are documented.
[ ] Tradeoffs are explicit.
[ ] Relationship to ADRs is clear where applicable.
[ ] Verification and implementation impacts are identified.
[ ] Evidence, security, AI, operational, and maintainability implications are considered.
[ ] Supersession history is supported.

Continue to Design Review

Review the design package for traceability, testability, access control, AI behavior, failure behavior, and implementation readiness.

Open Design Review →