Decision-Driven Software Engineering

A Methodology for Human-AI Collaboration in Software Development

🎯 What is DDSE?

Decision-Driven Software Engineering (DDSE) is a methodology that integrates structured decision-making into every phase of the software development lifecycle. At its core, DDSE recognizes that software engineering is fundamentally about making good decisions under uncertainty—and that these decisions should be captured, reasoned about, and used to guide both human and AI collaboration.

DDSE in the Software Development Lifecycle

DDSE enhances traditional SDLC phases by embedding decision governance at each stage:

Requirements → TDR Creation → Implementation → CI/CD → Maintenance
     ↓              ↓             ↓          ↓         ↓
   AI helps    AI drafts TDRs  AI generates  AI validates  AI suggests
   clarify     Human approves   code with     compliance   updates
   ambiguity   & owns decision  TDR context

📋 Requirements Phase

AI assists in clarifying ambiguous requirements and identifying decision points
Teams create Major Design Decisions (MDDs) for strategic choices
Business constraints and user needs become structured decision context

🏗️ Design & Architecture Phase

AI drafts initial Technical Decision Records (TDRs) based on requirements
Humans maintain authority by reviewing, approving, and owning all decisions
Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) capture system structure and technology choices

⚙️ Implementation Phase

AI generates code using TDR context for consistent, aligned implementation
Implementation Decision Records (IDRs) guide specific coding patterns
Decision-driven development ensures AI follows human-defined constraints

🚀 CI/CD & Testing Phase

AI validates code compliance against documented decision criteria
Automated checks ensure implementation matches decision requirements
TDRs provide context for automated testing and deployment strategies

🔧 Maintenance & Evolution Phase

AI suggests updates based on changing requirements and decision outcomes
Decision history provides context for evaluating change impact
Technical Decision Memos (TDMs) capture incremental decisions and trade-offs

DDSE in Agile Development

DDSE seamlessly integrates with Agile methodologies while addressing a critical gap: decision governance in iterative development.

🔄 Sprint Planning

User stories include decision context and AI guidance sections
Teams identify which decisions need TDRs vs. quick TDMs
Decision backlogs track architectural and technical choice dependencies

📅 Daily Standups

Teams discuss decision blockers alongside traditional impediments
AI-generated code reviewed against documented decision criteria
Decision conflicts identified and escalated for human resolution

📊 Sprint Reviews & Retrospectives

Decision outcomes evaluated alongside feature delivery
TDR effectiveness measured through implementation consistency
Team learning captured in updated decision templates and patterns

🎯 Continuous Improvement

Decision quality metrics inform process refinement
AI collaboration patterns evolve based on TDR usage effectiveness
Cross-sprint decision context prevents repeated architectural debates

Core DDSE Principles

Human Authority: AI accelerates, humans decide
Decision Transparency: All significant choices documented and reasoned
Context Preservation: Decision rationale survives beyond the original team
AI Collaboration: TDRs provide structured context for AI tools
Incremental Adoption: Start small, scale based on value demonstrated

🛠️ Contribute with Ready-Made Templates

DDSE grows stronger with community contributions! You can help expand the ecosystem by creating base TDR templates for common project types:

🌐 Web Development Templates

Jekyll Static Sites: Blog-focused MDDs and content strategy ADRs
React Applications: Component architecture and state management decisions
WordPress Sites: Theme customization and plugin integration patterns
Next.js Projects: SSR/SSG choices and deployment configuration decisions

📱 Mobile Development Templates

React Native Apps: Cross-platform vs. native decision frameworks
Flutter Projects: Widget architecture and platform-specific adaptations
iOS/Android Native: Platform-specific design pattern decisions

🏢 Enterprise Application Templates

Microservices Architecture: Service boundary and communication decisions
API Gateway Patterns: Authentication, rate limiting, and routing choices
Database Design: Schema evolution and migration strategy decisions
DevOps Integration: Container orchestration and monitoring decisions

🎥 Check out the Video: How a Task App in Python can be created with TDR templates in minutes

🤝 How to Contribute Templates

Identify a common project type that needs decision guidance
Create TDR templates for typical decisions in that domain
Include AI context sections for tool integration
Submit via GitHub with examples and usage documentation
Join our community for collaborative template refinement

Start Contributing Templates →

🚀 Why DDSE Now?

“In the AI era, human value lies not in being the exclusive generator of solutions, but in being the authoritative decision-maker who guides generation toward human-aligned outcomes.”

AI can generate code faster than humans—but it can’t make intelligent decisions about what should be built or why. Without decision governance, AI-assisted development creates a dangerous gap: rapid implementation without human authority over architectural direction.

The Problem: AI Speed Without Human Direction

⚠️ AI generates code without architectural context
⚠️ Inconsistent patterns across different AI interactions
⚠️ No institutional memory of technical decisions
⚠️ Rapid technical debt accumulation
⚠️ Lost human oversight in critical technical choices

The Solution: Decision-Driven Development

✅ Technical Decision Records (TDRs) provide AI context
✅ Consistent implementation patterns across all AI tools
✅ Preserved decision rationale and trade-offs
✅ Human authority maintained over architectural direction
✅ AI accelerates implementation within human-defined constraints

🎯 Core DDSE Concepts

TDR Hierarchy: Structured Decision Authority

MDD (Major Design Decisions): Strategic product and business constraint decisions
ADR (Architectural Decision Records): System structure and technology choices
EDR (Engineering Decision Records): Cross-cutting implementation approaches
IDR (Implementation Decision Records): Specific coding patterns and conventions
TDM (Technical Decision Memos): Quick tactical decisions and trade-offs

🤖 AI Integration in Practice

DDSE transforms AI from an unguided code generator into an intelligent implementation partner:

# Example: TDR AI Context Section
ai_context:
  implementation_priority: |
    Focus on user authentication flow first, then task CRUD operations.
    Prioritize security over performance in authentication components.
  
  framework_guidance: |
    Use FastAPI with SQLAlchemy ORM for clean separation of concerns.
    Follow repository pattern for data access abstraction.
  
  constraint_enforcement: |
    MUST validate all inputs using Pydantic models.
    MUST use JWT tokens with 24-hour expiration.
    NEVER store plaintext passwords.

When AI tools read this context, they generate code that:

Follows your documented patterns consistently
Respects your architectural constraints automatically
Implements your business rules correctly
Maintains your quality standards without extra prompting

🏁 Quick Start Journey

5-Minute Setup

Choose your first decision to document (start small!)
Download a TDR template for the decision type
Fill in the decision context including AI guidance
Use the TDR with your AI tools for aligned implementation
Validate with our compliance checker for quality assurance

Start Your DDSE Journey →

🌟 Community & Open Source

The DDSE Foundation is a 100% open source initiative driven by community collaboration. We operate through transparent governance with multiple ways for anyone to participate and contribute to the evolution of decision-driven software engineering.

🌟 Open Community Values

📖 Transparent Development: All decisions, discussions, and development happen in public
🤝 Inclusive Participation: Everyone can contribute regardless of background or experience level
🎯 Merit-Based Leadership: Governance roles earned through community contribution and expertise
🔓 Open Source Everything: All code, documentation, and research freely available under MIT license

Join Our Community →

🎯 Ready to Start?

New to DDSE? → Learn DDSE Foundations

Want to implement? → Implementation Guide

Need templates? → TDR Templates

DDSE Foundation: Advancing decision-aware software development for the AI era.