Epic AUD-ARC-001: Platform Architecture & Vision¶
Status: ✅ Complete
Owner: Architecture Team
Completed: Q1 2025
Epic Description¶
This epic defined the architectural foundation, vision, and standards for the Audit Trail Platform (ATP). It established the high-level architecture, bounded contexts, coding standards, repository model, and governance framework that guided every subsequent microservice implementation.
Epic Objectives¶
- Define the Audit Trail Platform architecture and integration strategy
- Establish DDD boundaries and aggregates for each microservice
- Enforce standardization of project structure and naming conventions
- Validate the ConnectSoft Microservice Template as baseline
- Approve governance principles and documentation standards
Features Delivered¶
Feature AUD-ARC-HLD-001: High-Level Architecture Blueprint ✅¶
Delivered: February 2025
Tasks Completed: - ✅ Define global architecture diagram (C4 Level 1–3) - ✅ Define communication model and integration patterns - ✅ Identify shared infrastructure components - ✅ Publish High-Level Design (HLD) document
Key Deliverables:
- C4 architecture diagrams (System Context, Containers, Components)
- Communication patterns documented (REST, gRPC, async events)
- Shared infrastructure inventory (Gateway, Service Bus, Identity)
- Published: docs/architecture/hld.md
Feature AUD-ARC-DDD-001: Domain Model & Context Map ✅¶
Delivered: February 2025
Tasks Completed: - ✅ Identify bounded contexts and ownership - ✅ Model aggregates, entities & value objects - ✅ Define domain events and contracts - ✅ Publish domain glossary and ubiquitous language
Key Deliverables:
- Context map with 10 bounded contexts identified
- Core aggregates documented: AuditStream, AuditRecord, IntegrityBlock
- Domain events catalog: 25+ event types defined
- Published: docs/domain/context-map.md, docs/domain/aggregates-entities.md
Feature AUD-ARC-STD-001: Coding & Repository Standards ✅¶
Delivered: January 2025
Tasks Completed: - ✅ Prepare repository structure and templates - ✅ Define naming conventions - ✅ Publish branching & versioning strategy - ✅ Implement code style and analyzers - ✅ Create repository contribution guidelines
Key Deliverables:
- Standard repository structure defined
- Naming conventions: ConnectSoft.Audit.[Context].Service
- Branch policies configured in Azure Repos
- StyleCop and Roslyn analyzers integrated
- README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md templates created
Feature AUD-ARC-GOV-001: Architecture Governance ✅¶
Delivered: March 2025
Tasks Completed: - ✅ Define architectural principles - ✅ Create Architecture Decision Record (ADR) process - ✅ Define service versioning and deprecation rules
Key Deliverables: - 5 core architectural principles documented - ADR-0001: "Use log4brains for Architecture Decision Records" - Versioning policy: Semantic versioning (vX.Y.Z) - API deprecation lifecycle defined (6-month sunset period)
Feature AUD-ARC-REF-001: Reference Microservice Initialization ✅¶
Delivered: March 2025
Tasks Completed: - ✅ Scaffold reference microservice (Ingestion) - ✅ Configure initial dependencies - ✅ Deploy to Dev environment
Key Deliverables:
- ConnectSoft.Audit.IngestionService scaffolded
- Health checks, Serilog, OpenTelemetry configured
- Successfully deployed to Azure Container Apps (Dev)
Outcomes & Impact¶
Architectural Principles Established¶
- Security by Design - Every service enforces tenant isolation and encryption
- API First - All services expose REST/gRPC contracts before UI
- Immutability & Idempotency - Audit records append-only, operations repeatable
- Observability Everywhere - Traces, metrics, logs in every component
- Tenant Isolation - Multi-tenancy enforced at all layers
Standards Adopted¶
- Microservice Template: All services generated from standard template
- Branching: GitFlow with main/develop/feature branches
- Versioning: Semantic versioning aligned with API contracts
- Code Quality: 80% coverage minimum, StyleCop enforcement
- Documentation: MkDocs + log4brains for ADRs
Lessons Learned¶
What Went Well¶
- ✅ C4 diagrams provided clear communication across teams
- ✅ DDD context mapping prevented boundary conflicts
- ✅ Standard template accelerated microservice creation
- ✅ Early ADR adoption improved decision transparency
Challenges¶
- ⚠️ Initial template iteration took longer than expected (2 weeks vs 1 week)
- ⚠️ Context map needed 3 revisions to align with business domains
- ⚠️ Some teams unfamiliar with DDD concepts (resolved via training)
Improvements Applied¶
- 📚 Created DDD training materials for teams
- 🛠️ Automated template scaffolding improved
- 📋 ADR review process streamlined with templates
Artifacts Produced¶
| Artifact | Location | Format |
|---|---|---|
| C4 Architecture Diagrams | docs/architecture/hld.md |
Mermaid + PNG |
| Context Map | docs/architecture/context-map.md |
Mermaid diagram |
| Domain Model | docs/domain/aggregates-entities.md |
Markdown + UML |
| ADR Catalog | docs/adr/ |
log4brains site |
| Coding Standards | CONTRIBUTING.md |
Markdown |
| Microservice Template | ConnectSoft.MicroserviceTemplate |
.NET template |
Dependencies Met¶
Enabled Downstream Epics¶
- ✅ AUD-OPS-001: DevOps & CI/CD (architecture defined)
- ✅ AUD-TENANT-001: Tenant Management (context identified)
- ✅ AUD-INGEST-001: Ingestion Service (template validated)
- ✅ All subsequent epics leveraged architectural foundation
Metrics Achieved¶
| Metric | Target | Actual | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture Review Approval | 100% | 100% | ✅ |
| Template Usage | 100% services | 100% | ✅ |
| ADR Coverage | > 5 decisions | 12 ADRs | ✅ |
| Documentation Completeness | > 90% | 95% | ✅ |
| Standards Adoption | 100% teams | 100% | ✅ |
Retrospective Summary¶
Date: March 31, 2025
Participants: Architecture Team, Platform Team, DevOps Team
Key Takeaways¶
- Early investment in architecture paid off - Prevented rework and conflicts
- DDD alignment with business - Context map matched organizational structure
- Template standardization - Reduced service creation time by 70%
- ADR transparency - Improved cross-team communication
Action Items Completed¶
- ✅ DDD training sessions conducted (all teams)
- ✅ Architecture board review cadence established (biweekly)
- ✅ Template improvements backlogged and prioritized
Related Documentation¶
- Architecture: Architecture Overview
- Architecture: High-Level Design
- Architecture: Context Map
- Domain: Domain Overview
- Reference: Baseline Roadmap
Azure DevOps Links¶
- Epic (Closed): AUD-ARC-001
- Retrospective: Q1 2025 Architecture Retro
Epic Completed: 2025-03-15
Retrospective: 2025-03-31
Contact: #atp-architecture on Slack