Concepts
What Is a Concept in ArchRepo?
A Concept is a lightweight register entry for an idea, hypothesis, or prototype that is being explored as part of the solution. Concepts sit in the Apps & Systems concern and provide a space to capture and track early-stage thinking — before it is mature enough to become a formal design decision.
Examples of Concepts:
- A prototype of a new integration approach being evaluated
- An architectural hypothesis about how a performance problem could be solved
- An early spike into whether a third-party API could meet a specific requirement
- An idea for a technical approach that has been raised but not yet investigated
Concepts are referenced using the prefix CPT- — CPT-1, CPT-2, and so on.
Concepts vs Design Decisions
A Concept captures what is being explored — it records that an idea or hypothesis is under investigation, and tracks thinking as it develops. There is no commitment to an outcome.
A Design Decision records the outcome — the choice that was made, why it was made, the options that were considered, and the constraints or rationale that led to the selected option.
A Concept may evolve into a Design Decision once the exploration is complete. It may also be closed or rejected without producing a decision. The status field tracks where a Concept is in this lifecycle.
When to Use a Concept
Use a Concept when you want to track exploratory work without yet raising a formal design decision:
- Running a spike or proof of concept to validate a technical assumption
- Investigating whether a technology or approach is viable before committing to it
- Capturing an architectural idea that has been raised in a discussion and needs to be followed up
- Recording a prototype that is being evaluated against alternatives
Concepts provide visibility into investigative work that is in progress, without the formality of a design decision register entry. They are intentionally lightweight — a description field and a status is often all that is needed.
Fields Reference
See Concept Fields for a description of each field and guidance on what to record.