Getting started

Make sure that all architects and developers that are either applying patterns or are implementing them understand the patterns used and how the architecture will be affected by the use of patterns.

Developer Practices

• Make sure to implement patterns applied in the architecture consistently. Often, there are different variants of pattern implementation. Using several within a project can be confusing and hinders communication and code re-use.

Architect Practices

• Document which patterns you used and why. When the system architecture changes due to change requests or other new circumstances, re-visit the documentation and check to see if your original reasoning still applies. The Architectural Style Notebook is a good place for such information.
• Don't overdo it. An architecture that consists only of a collection of patterns is hard to comprehend and might jeopardise the original goals of the practice.