What is architecture decision records?

Architecture decision records is a concept in personal epistemology: A well-written document delegates explanation, alignment, and decision context to the future.

Example: An engineering team debates the same database migration trade-offs in three consecutive sprint plannings. Nobody remembers what was already considered and rejected. Then one engineer writes a two-page Architecture Decision Record capturing the context, options evaluated, and rationale for the chosen approach. The next time the question surfaces — six months later, from a new hire — nobody needs to be in the room. The document explains the decision, the alternatives, and the reasoning. The document does the work the original engineer would have done, without requiring that engineer's time, presence, or memory.

This concept is part of Phase 27 (Delegation Patterns) in the How to Think curriculum, which builds the epistemic infrastructure for delegation patterns.