Reference architecture template

[Architecture title]

Proposed

Version: [version] · Date: [date] · Status: Proposed

Canonical source: [path] · Guide: [path or “included below”] · PNG: [path]

Purpose and reader

[Business outcome, intended reader, architecture altitude and the question this view answers.]

Familiar starting point

[Ordinary business situation or known security practice. Explain what AI changes and where an analogy stops.]

Scope and limits

[What this view covers, adjacent disciplines, assumptions, what remains unknown.]

Architecture and relationships

Element ID Exact label Purpose Inputs and outputs Responsibility and authority Failure behavior
[ID] [label] [purpose] [I/O] [function; proposed ownership] [behavior]
Connector ID From → to Exact label What passes or relates Required interpretation
[ID] [IDs] [label] [request/evidence/permission/result/dependency] [meaning and limits]

[Explain shared bands, boundaries, all exceptions, feedback, recovery authority, off-diagram paths and dependencies on sibling views.]

Proposed decisions

Decision ID Choice Reason Alternative and tradeoff Revisit condition
[ID] [choice] [reason] [credible alternative] [observable trigger]

Worked example

[Use the series' recurring example when it fits. Show normal operation, an adverse or ambiguous case, authority for each consequential action, and how the outcome is confirmed.]

Architect detail

[Explain each element's operation, controls, interface expectations, limitations and questions. In a separate guide, preserve element IDs and links to the canonical source. Label added implementation detail.]

Validation and unanswered questions

Scenario or requirement Evidence that would support acceptance What remains environment-specific
[case] [testable observation; no implied test completion] [decision/value/owner]

Visual contract and accessible description

[Exact visible copy, reading order, topology, arrow direction, color/line semantics, dimensions target, status/footer and deliberate omissions. Use plain text that fully explains the diagram without seeing it.]

Sources

[Primary source links, publication and checked dates, draft/interim status, exact claim supported, verification limits. Distinguish sourced facts from author design proposals.]

Production and review record

[Declared input version; prompt/renderer link; actual dimensions/page count; visual/text checks; reader comprehension assessed or not assessed; review snapshot and open findings. Do not claim acceptance or testing that did not occur.]