create a solution architecture checklist for delivery projects

1. Project Initiation

Define project scope and objectives

Identify key stakeholders and their roles

Gather initial requirements and constraints

Establish project timeline and milestones

2. Requirements Analysis

Collect functional requirements

Collect non-functional requirements (performance, security, etc.)

Validate requirements with stakeholders

Document use cases and user stories

3. Architecture Design

Select architectural style (e.g., microservices, monolithic)

Define system components and their interactions

Create high-level architecture diagram

Identify integration points with existing systems

4. Technology Stack Selection

Evaluate programming languages and frameworks

Assess database options (SQL vs. NoSQL)

Choose cloud services and hosting solutions

Consider third-party tools and libraries

5. Security Considerations

Identify potential security threats and vulnerabilities

Define authentication and authorization mechanisms

Plan for data encryption and secure storage

Ensure compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA)

6. Scalability and Performance

Determine expected load and performance requirements

Plan for horizontal and vertical scaling options

Identify caching strategies and content delivery networks (CDN)

Set performance monitoring and optimization strategies

7. Data Management

Define data models and schemas

Plan for data migration and integration

Establish data backup and recovery procedures

Identify data retention policies

8. Testing and Quality Assurance

Define testing strategy (unit, integration, performance)

Create test cases and scenarios

Plan for user acceptance testing (UAT)

Set up continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines

9. Documentation

Document architecture decisions and rationale

Create user manuals and system documentation

Prepare API documentation

Ensure knowledge transfer and training for stakeholders

10. Deployment and Maintenance

Plan deployment strategy (phased, big bang)

Define monitoring and logging requirements

Establish incident response and support processes

Schedule regular maintenance and updates