counter_2 Cohesion — Stay Aligned to an Architecture

AI agents can build fast, but are they building the right thing? This engagement ensures your architecture guides agent output.

Define

Articulate your architecture in a form that agents can use. Document the decisions, patterns, and constraints that define how your system should evolve.

• Identify artifacts beyond guidelines that drive architecture (technical strategy, key engineering principles, product direction, UX guidelines, architecture diagrams)
• Convert diagrams and visual content to text-based formats for agent consumption
• Setup agents capable of document conversions
• Document non-functional requirements, error handling patterns, and performance goals
• Establish clear ownership for each artifact type
• Transition stakeholders to work directly in version control where possible

Align

Connect your architecture documentation to your development workflow. Ensure agents have access to the context they need to make good decisions.

• Identify and codify which architecture departures are acceptable and which ones require review
• Create subagent skills tailored to architecture compliance checking
• Define clear escalation paths for architectural questions and guidelines for handling deviations
• Set up automated adherence checking including techniques to avoids agreeable agents

Verify

Build verification into your process. Create checkpoints that catch architectural drift before it becomes technical debt.

• Review alerts to distinguish between unintentional drift and intentional experiments
• Update architecture compliance guidelines accordingly
• Identify possible experiments and track initial opportunities and challenges