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4DDR Quick Template

For rapid decision capture when you need to document a decision quickly without extensive analysis. This template fits on one screen and captures the essential information.

Quick Template​

---
id: 4DDR-NNNN
status: proposed
phase: [discover|design|develop|deploy]
decision: "What was decided in one clear sentence"
context: "Why this decision was needed"
consequences: "Key impacts and trade-offs"
date: "YYYY-MM-DD"
---

# 4DDR-NNNN: [Decision Title]

**Context**: Why this decision was necessary.

**Decision**: What we decided to do.

**Alternatives**: Brief list of other options considered.

**Implementation**: Key next steps or how this will be implemented.

**Review**: When this should be revisited (if applicable).

When to Use​

Use the quick template when:

  • ✅ Time is limited and you need to capture a decision immediately
  • ✅ Decision is straightforward with minimal complexity
  • ✅ Context is well-understood by the team
  • ✅ Documentation debt - capturing decisions made earlier
  • ✅ Iterative development where decisions evolve quickly

Don't use the quick template for:

  • ❌ High-impact architectural decisions requiring detailed analysis
  • ❌ Complex trade-offs that need extensive explanation
  • ❌ Compliance-critical decisions requiring audit trails
  • ❌ Cross-team decisions affecting multiple stakeholders

Examples​

Discover Phase - Quick​

---
id: 4DDR-0008
status: accepted
phase: discover
decision: "Use Google Forms for initial user feedback collection"
context: "Need quick way to gather user feedback for MVP validation"
consequences: "Limited customization, easy setup, familiar to users"
date: "2025-07-16"
---

# 4DDR-0008: Use Google Forms for User Feedback

**Context**: Need to collect structured feedback from beta users quickly.

**Decision**: Use Google Forms with embedded analytics.

**Alternatives**: Typeform, custom form, email surveys.

**Implementation**: Create form template, embed on landing page, set up automated responses.

**Review**: After 100 responses or 4 weeks, whichever comes first.

Design Phase - Quick​

---
id: 4DDR-0023
status: accepted
phase: design
decision: "Use CSS Grid for dashboard layout"
context: "Dashboard needs flexible, responsive grid system"
consequences: "Modern browser requirement, simpler responsive code"
date: "2025-07-19"
---

# 4DDR-0023: CSS Grid for Dashboard Layout  

**Context**: Complex dashboard with multiple widgets and responsive needs.

**Decision**: Use CSS Grid with fallback for older browsers.

**Alternatives**: Flexbox, CSS Framework (Bootstrap), JavaScript grid library.

**Implementation**: Create grid utilities, test on target browsers, document grid patterns.

**Review**: After first user feedback on dashboard usability.

Develop Phase - Quick​

---
id: 4DDR-0035
status: accepted
phase: develop
decision: "Use Jest for all JavaScript testing"
context: "Need consistent testing framework across frontend and backend"
consequences: "Single framework to learn, good IDE support, large community"
date: "2025-07-21"
---

# 4DDR-0035: Jest for JavaScript Testing

**Context**: Currently using multiple testing frameworks, causing confusion.

**Decision**: Standardize on Jest for unit, integration, and snapshot tests.

**Alternatives**: Mocha + Chai, Vitest, Jasmine.

**Implementation**: Migrate existing tests, update CI pipeline, create testing guidelines.

**Review**: After Q3 when all tests are migrated.

Deploy Phase - Quick​

---
id: 4DDR-0047
status: accepted
phase: deploy
decision: "Use GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipeline"
context: "Need integrated CI/CD with our GitHub workflow"
consequences: "Free for public repos, integrated with GitHub, yaml configuration"
date: "2025-07-23"
---

# 4DDR-0047: GitHub Actions for CI/CD

**Context**: Current Jenkins setup is maintenance-heavy and disconnected from code review.

**Decision**: Migrate to GitHub Actions for all build, test, and deployment processes.

**Alternatives**: GitLab CI, CircleCI, keep Jenkins.

**Implementation**: Create workflow templates, migrate existing jobs, update deployment keys.

**Review**: After 3 months of production use.

Conversion to Full Template​

If a quick 4DDR later needs more detail, expand it using the full template:

Before (Quick)​

---
id: 4DDR-0025
status: accepted
phase: design
decision: "Use Redis for session storage"
context: "Need distributed session storage for load balancing"
consequences: "Additional infrastructure, better scalability"
date: "2025-07-20"
---

# 4DDR-0025: Redis for Session Storage

**Context**: Moving to multiple app servers, need shared session storage.

**Decision**: Use Redis cluster for session persistence.

**Alternatives**: Database sessions, JWT tokens, sticky sessions.

**Implementation**: Set up Redis cluster, update session middleware.

**Review**: After load testing with multiple servers.

After (Full Template)​

---
id: 4DDR-0025
status: accepted
phase: design
decision: "Use Redis for session storage"
context: "Need distributed session storage for horizontal scaling"
consequences: "Additional infrastructure complexity, improved scalability, session persistence"
alternatives: ["Database-based sessions", "JWT tokens", "Sticky sessions"]
author: "Backend Architecture Team"
date: "2025-07-20"
approved-by: "Lead Architect, DevOps Lead"
approved-date: "2025-07-22"
tags: ["sessions", "redis", "scalability", "infrastructure"]
---

# 4DDR-0025: Redis for Session Storage

## Background

We're scaling from a single application server to multiple instances behind a load balancer. Our current in-memory session storage won't work in this distributed environment.

## Decision

Implement Redis cluster for distributed session storage with automatic failover.

## Rationale

- **Scalability**: Supports horizontal scaling of application servers
- **Performance**: Redis provides sub-millisecond response times
- **Reliability**: Cluster mode provides high availability
- **Ecosystem**: Good integration with our Node.js stack

## Alternatives Considered

- **Database sessions**: Too slow, adds load to primary database
- **JWT tokens**: Security concerns with client-side storage, logout complexity
- **Sticky sessions**: Limits load balancing effectiveness, single points of failure

## Implementation

- [ ] Set up Redis cluster (3 nodes minimum)
- [ ] Update session middleware configuration
- [ ] Implement session serialization/deserialization
- [ ] Add Redis health checks to monitoring
- [ ] Update deployment scripts for Redis dependency

## Success Criteria

- Session persistence across server restarts
- Sub-10ms session lookup performance
- Zero session loss during Redis node failures
- Successful load testing with 1000+ concurrent users

## Review Date

**Next Review**: 2025-10-20 (after 3 months in production)

## Related Decisions

- 4DDR-0020: [Load Balancer Configuration](./4ddr-0020-load-balancer.md)
- 4DDR-0030: [Monitoring Strategy](./4ddr-0030-monitoring.md)

Best Practices for Quick Templates​

1. Essential Information Only​

Focus on the core decision elements:

  • What was decided?
  • Why was it necessary?
  • What are the main trade-offs?

2. Clear Decision Statement​

Make the decision statement actionable and specific:

  • ❌ "Use better database"
  • ✅ "Use PostgreSQL for primary data storage"

3. Meaningful Context​

Provide enough context for future readers:

  • ❌ "Need database"
  • ✅ "Need ACID compliance for financial transactions"

4. Honest Consequences​

Include both positive and negative impacts:

  • ❌ "Will be better"
  • ✅ "Better performance but requires Redis expertise"

5. Future-Oriented Review​

Set realistic review dates:

  • ❌ "Review soon"
  • ✅ "Review after Q3 when usage patterns are established"

Automation Support​

Quick Template Generator​

#!/bin/bash
# generate-quick-4ddr.sh

NEXT_ID=$(find .gise/4ddr -name "*.md" | wc -l | awk '{printf "%04d", $1+1}')
PHASE=${1:-"design"}
TITLE=${2:-"decision"}
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)

cat > ".gise/4ddr/4ddr-${NEXT_ID}-${TITLE}.md" << EOF
---
id: 4DDR-${NEXT_ID}
status: proposed
phase: ${PHASE}
decision: "Brief decision statement"
context: "Why this decision was needed"
consequences: "Key impacts and trade-offs"
date: "${DATE}"
---

# 4DDR-${NEXT_ID}: ${TITLE}

**Context**: 

**Decision**: 

**Alternatives**: 

**Implementation**: 

**Review**: 
EOF

echo "Created quick 4DDR: .gise/4ddr/4ddr-${NEXT_ID}-${TITLE}.md"

Usage​

# Generate quick template for design phase
./generate-quick-4ddr.sh design database-choice

# Generate quick template for develop phase  
./generate-quick-4ddr.sh develop testing-strategy

The quick template balances speed with documentation value, ensuring decisions are captured even in fast-moving development environments.