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Guide Origin: Official | ArcKit Version: [VERSION]

Run /arckit:hld-review and /arckit:dld-review to apply structured quality gates before delivery teams start building.

HLD vs DLD at a Glance

Topic High-Level Design (HLD) Detailed Design (DLD)
Focus Architecture decisions, components, integrations Implementation detail, APIs, build steps
Inputs Approved requirements, principles, solution options Approved HLD, vendor deliverables, data models
Key Outcomes Principle compliance, requirement coverage, risk alignment Testability, integration specifics, operational readiness
Gate Approve before any detailed engineering Approve before sprint/build kick-off

Pre-Review Checklist

  • Latest requirements, principles, risk register, data model, and diagrams in repo.
  • Vendor deliverable received (HLD or DLD markdown/PDF).
  • Review panel confirmed (architecture, security, product, operations).

Command Usage

/arckit:hld-review Review <vendor> high-level design for <project>
/arckit:dld-review Review <vendor> detailed design for <project>

Outputs (reviews/ARC-<id>-HLDR-v1.0.md, reviews/ARC-<id>-DLDR-v1.0.md) capture compliance results, gaps, and actions.

Review Agenda Template

  1. Context – Scope, assumptions, key decisions.
  2. Principles & Standards – Pass/fail per principle with evidence.
  3. Requirements Coverage – Table of requirement IDs vs components/tests.
  4. Architecture & Security – Diagrams, resilience, data protection.
  5. Operational Readiness – Monitoring, deployment, support model (DLD focus).
  6. Actions & Decisions – Blockers, conditions, approvals.

Decision Log Format

Decision ID Summary Status Owner Due
DR-HLD-001 Adopt multi-region deployment to satisfy 99.99% uptime Approved Vendor 15 Apr
DR-DLD-004 Provide API rate limiting design to meet SEC-002 Action Security Lead Sprint 3

Record these directly in the generated review file to maintain traceability.

After the Review

  • Update backlog with actions (mark blockers as “must fix before approval”).
  • Re-run the relevant review command once actions are complete.
  • Store approved artefacts in reviews/ directory for audit.
  • Notify governance boards with key findings and approval state.