DESIGN - Architectural Vision and Design Decisions

[krystophny]

DESIGN - Product Architecture and Strategic Vision

Sprint #1 Architectural Retrospective - COMPLETED

SPRINT ACHIEVEMENT VALIDATION: Emergency regression fixes successfully completed

• Critical Success: PDF scaling regression resolved (Issue CRITICAL REGRESSION: PDF output plots wrong scale (was working 2 weeks ago) #985 → PR fix: restore PDF plot scaling to fill available plot area (fixes #985) #987)
• Critical Success: Marker visibility regression resolved (Issue CRITICAL REGRESSION: Plot markers missing in output (was working 2 weeks ago) #986 → PR fix: restore PDF marker visibility by fixing coordinate transformation (fixes #986) #988)
• Technical Excellence: Both PRs achieved full CI validation
• Quality Assurance: Independent patrick-auditor and vicky-acceptance-tester validation
• User Impact: Core plotting functionality restored to working state

ARCHITECTURAL LESSONS CONFIRMED:

Custom Implementation Strategy Validated

• ZLIB Implementation: Custom implementation successfully debugged and resolved PNG corruption
• PDF Backend: Custom PDF generation successfully restored proper scaling
• Coordinate System: Internal transformation algorithms successfully repaired
• REINFORCEMENT: Dependency independence design philosophy proven effective for debugging and resolution

Repository Contamination Crisis Identified

• Scale Discovery: 520 build artifacts contaminating repository (vs assumed manageable levels)
• Root Pollution: 45 files in repository root violating build isolation architecture
• Systematic Problem: Build system artifact management requires architectural redesign
• URGENCY: Repository health foundation required before sustainable development

Team Competence Boundaries Established

• Success Pattern: Focused scope (2 critical issues) achieved excellent results
• Validation: Multi-agent collaboration (max → sergei → patrick → vicky → max → chris) functions effectively
• Quality Approach: Independent verification and CI validation prevents fraud
• CONSTRAINT: Complex scope overwhelms team capabilities, conservative planning required

Core Architecture Principles - Sprint #1 Validation

Dependency Independence (PROVEN EFFECTIVE)

• Custom ZLIB implementation debugged and restored to working condition
• Custom PDF coordinate system repaired without external library dependencies
• Custom PNG generation operational after compression algorithm fixes
• STRATEGIC DECISION: Continue custom implementation approach for Sprint Add standalone FreeType headers for development-library-free builds #2

Repository Organization (CRISIS REQUIRING FOUNDATION WORK)

• Current Crisis: 177 files overwhelming team maintenance capabilities
• Contamination: 520 build artifacts indicating systematic architecture violations
• EMERGENCY PROTOCOL: Sprint Add standalone FreeType headers for development-library-free builds #2 must prioritize repository stabilization
• SUCCESS REQUIREMENT: <100 files total, proper build isolation

Quality Assurance (VALIDATED APPROACH)

• Multi-agent validation prevented systematic completion fraud
• CI-first approach ensured technical quality before PR creation
• Independent testing confirmed user functionality restoration
• REINFORCEMENT: Continue rigorous validation for Sprint Add standalone FreeType headers for development-library-free builds #2

Sprint #2 Architectural Strategy - REPOSITORY STABILIZATION

ARCHITECTURAL MISSION: Foundation Recovery for Sustainable Development

SPRINT GOAL: Repository health restoration enabling team success and user trust recovery

EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH: Sprint #1 success (2 items, focused scope) vs historical failures (complex scope), conservative planning required

ARCHITECTURAL RECOVERY PRIORITIES

1. Repository Scale Architecture (Issue #977)

• EMERGENCY: 177 → <100 files through strategic consolidation
• METHOD: Systematic merging preserving functionality and test coverage
• VALIDATION: All consolidated modules maintain original capabilities
• QUALITY GATE: Post-consolidation test suite 100% pass rate

2. User Documentation Architecture (Issue #978)

• TRUST RECOVERY: 6 critical README failures fixed through verification testing
• METHOD: Execute every documented workflow, fix discrepancies
• VALIDATION: Fresh environment testing confirms accuracy
• QUALITY GATE: All documentation examples executable by new users

3. Build System Architecture (Issue #979)

• COMPLEXITY REDUCTION: Single-command build and test success
• METHOD: Artifact isolation, dependency clarity, path simplification
• VALIDATION: Clean environment build verification
• QUALITY GATE: fpm build && fmp test complete success

4. Documentation System Architecture (Issue #980)

• INFRASTRUCTURE: FORD documentation system stability restoration
• METHOD: Parser error resolution, GitHub Pages pipeline repair
• VALIDATION: Clean documentation build without warnings
• QUALITY GATE: Professional documentation deployment success

5. Core Functionality Architecture (Issue #981)

• API COMPLETION: Missing documented functionality implementation
• METHOD: Systematic API gap analysis and implementation
• VALIDATION: All documented features operational
• QUALITY GATE: User workflow completion without missing functionality

SPRINT #2 QUALITY ARCHITECTURE

Team Competence Alignment

• Conservative Scope: 5 issues maximum based on demonstrated capabilities
• Independent Verification: All work validated by separate team members
• CI-First Approach: Technical verification before any PR creation
• Systematic Testing: Comprehensive validation preventing false completion claims

Repository Health Foundation

• File Organization: Restore architectural compliance (<100 files, <50 per directory)
• Build Isolation: Eliminate artifact contamination through proper system design
• Documentation Accuracy: Align promises with reality through verification
• User Experience: Remove adoption barriers through simplified, working workflows

Custom Implementation Preservation

• Dependency Independence: All consolidation maintains self-contained approach
• No External Dependencies: Repository stabilization through internal reorganization only
• Custom Backend Maintenance: ZLIB, PNG, PDF implementations preserved and improved
• Architecture Philosophy: Minimal external dependency approach reinforced

Architectural Success Criteria - Sprint #2

REPOSITORY ARCHITECTURE: Organized, maintainable codebase under architectural limits enabling team success
USER TRUST ARCHITECTURE: Accurate, executable documentation enabling user adoption without barriers
BUILD SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE: Reliable, simple build process with proper artifact isolation
DEVELOPMENT ARCHITECTURE: Sustainable development foundation enabling future sprints without crisis management

DEFERRED PRIORITIES: Performance optimization, advanced features, experimental architecture (until foundation stable)

All architectural decisions prioritize: User accessibility, repository maintainability, team competence alignment, dependency independence preservation.