Fact Definition and Boundary

Facts are stable truths that architecture and decisions rely on.

What Is a Fact

A fact is information that is true independent of local design preference and remains stable long enough to be reused across multiple notes.

What Is Not a Fact

• A proposed option.
• A preference statement.
• A temporary workaround.
• A decision rationale narrative.

Fact vs ADR (Important)

• ADR = why we chose something (context, options, trade-offs, consequences).
• Fact = stable truth we can reference repeatedly.

An accepted ADR does not automatically become a fact note.

Create a separate fact note only when the outcome is now a durable baseline that many notes need to reference as a stable constraint.

Add a Fact When

• The statement is reused in multiple architecture/topic/workpackage notes.
• The statement changes rarely.
• The statement should be referenced, not re-explained.
• The statement is externally imposed or already fixed in platform reality.

Keep in ADR/Architecture Instead When

• The information is mainly about trade-offs or alternatives.
• The statement is still in active transition.
• The scope is local to one architecture note.

Quick Test

If you expect to link a statement from 3+ places over time and it should remain stable, promote it into 40-facts/.