# Decentralizing the Practice of Architecture at Xapo Bank

Article: <https://martinfowler.com/articles/xapo-architecture-experience.html>

## Notes

- Company had horizontal teams, separating architects from engineers.
- This caused big number of handoffs and slow/broken feedback loops.
- They changed the org structure to vertical teams aligned with the core products.
- They implemented few processes targeting faster decision making and broader knowledge sharing.  Namely: 
    - Architecture Decision Records (ADR).
    - Domain-Driven Design (DDD).
    - Architecture Advisory Forum (AAF) and Architectural Advice Process (AAP).
- They used ticket tracker (Jira) to host ADRs and measure their progress through statuses: drafted, proposed, accepted, and adopted.
- ADRs linked to development stories and tasks.
- They allowed decisions to be taken without consensus.
- They provided a safe environment to make mistakes and re-evaluate past decisions.

## Links to follow:
- [Scaling the Practice of Architecture, Conversationally](https://martinfowler.com/articles/scaling-architecture-conversationally.html) ([My notes](02_advice_process.md))
- [How to use spikes as a foundation for ADRs](https://medium.com/@cat-mo/how-to-use-spikes-as-a-foundation-for-adrs-92bc1617617b) ([My notes](04_spikes.md))