Engineering decision-making
Guides, frameworks, and real-world lessons on RFCs, design docs, and building a culture of thoughtful engineering decisions.
From RFC to Implementation: Bridging the Gap
An approved RFC that never gets built is worse than no RFC at all — here's how to close the loop between decisions and code.
How AI Tools Are Changing Technical Decision-Making
AI coding assistants write code fast but ignore your team's architectural context — here's how RFCs can bridge that gap.
RFCs at Scale: What Changes When Your Team Grows from 10 to 100 Engineers
The RFC process that works for a small team will collapse at scale — here's how to evolve it at each growth stage.
The Reviewer's Guide: How to Give Great RFC Feedback
Reviewing an RFC is a skill -- here is how to do it well, with examples of helpful and unhelpful feedback.
Building a Culture of Written Proposals in Your Team
How to introduce an RFC process that engineers actually want to use, without mandates or heavy-handed process.
When NOT to Write an RFC
Over-documenting is as damaging as under-documenting -- here is a practical framework for knowing when a decision needs an RFC and when it does not.
7 RFC Anti-Patterns That Kill Your Engineering Culture
The most common ways RFC processes go wrong, and how to fix each one before it poisons your team's decision-making.
How Google, Uber, and Rust Run Their RFC Process
A look at how top engineering organizations handle design documents and RFCs, and the patterns that emerge across them.
How to Write a Compelling RFC Motivation Section
The motivation section is the most important part of an RFC — here's a practical framework for writing one that gets people to care.
RFCs vs ADRs: When to Use Which
RFCs and ADRs serve different purposes — here's how to decide which one fits your team's needs and when to use both.
What Makes a Good RFC? A Section-by-Section Breakdown
A practical walkthrough of each section in a well-structured RFC, with examples of what good and bad look like.
Why Your Team Should Document Architectural Decisions
Undocumented decisions cost more than you think — in onboarding time, repeated debates, and lost institutional knowledge.
What Is an RFC? The Complete Guide for Engineering Teams
A practical guide to RFCs — from their origins at ARPANET to how modern engineering teams use them to make better decisions.