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Reviewing and Iterating on the Architecture Plan

Interactive architecture diagrams

The Tech Leader’s plan includes Mermaid diagrams (entity relationships, service topology, deployment flow, etc.) rendered as interactive SVGs. Each diagram supports:

  • Mouse-wheel zoom toward the cursor position (0.1× to 5×)
  • Click-and-drag pan to move around large diagrams
  • Zoom In / Zoom Out buttons and a percentage indicator in the floating control bar
  • Reset view button to recenter and reset zoom

If a diagram fails to render (malformed syntax), Ileen shows a warning banner and falls back to the raw Mermaid source so you can still read it or copy it out.

The architecture plan is the foundation of your entire project. Taking 15–30 minutes to review and refine it before moving to the Tech Leader stage will save hours of rework later.

Applies to: Design Mode — AI Architect (plan generation) and Tech Leader stages

Opening the Plan Viewer

After clicking Generate Plan and waiting ~3 minutes, the Plan Viewer opens automatically. You can also re-open it any time by clicking the plan icon in the Architect panel toolbar.

The plan always contains the following sections — use the table of contents on the left to jump between them:

SectionWhat to look for
Executive SummaryDoes the problem statement match your intent?
System ArchitectureAre the component boundaries correct?
Database SchemaAre all entities and relationships captured?
API DesignAre the endpoints and data contracts right?
Security ModelAuth method, data encryption, compliance controls
Deployment ArchitectureCloud provider, regions, CI/CD outline
Milestones & RoadmapAre the phases realistic for your team and timeline?

Click any section heading in the TOC to expand it inline. Click again to collapse.

Downloading the plan

Use the buttons in the top-right corner of the Plan Viewer:

  • ⬇ .md — Markdown file, ideal for pasting into Notion, Confluence, or a GitHub Wiki
  • ⬇ .pdf — Formatted PDF, ideal for sharing with non-technical stakeholders or attaching to RFPs

What to look for when reviewing

✅ Green flags — the plan is solid

  • Entities in the schema match your domain model
  • Tech stack choices align with your team’s skills
  • Security model addresses your compliance requirements
  • Milestones are phased logically (foundation → features → hardening)

⚠️ Red flags — iterate before proceeding

  • A key integration is missing (e.g. a third-party API you mentioned)
  • The scale assumptions feel wrong (too small or too ambitious for your context)
  • The tech stack contains something your team has no experience with
  • A milestone tries to do too much in one go

Iterating via the Architect chat

You don’t need to regenerate the plan for every change. Use the Architect chat to refine specific parts:

  • “Add a mobile app (React Native) to the architecture”
  • “Change the authentication from custom JWT to Auth0”
  • “The database schema is missing a multi-tenancy model — add organisation-level data isolation”
  • “Remove the microservices architecture; make it a monolith for the MVP”

The Architect updates the live Project Summary panel and marks sections as updated. When you’re happy, click Regenerate Plan to produce a new version incorporating all changes.

When to regenerate milestones vs. iterate

After the Tech Leader produces milestones, you have two options:

ActionWhen to use
Iterate milestonesMinor adjustments — reordering, renaming, adding one task
Regenerate milestonesMajor architecture change, new repository added, significant scope change

Iterating is faster (seconds); regenerating takes 1–2 minutes but produces a clean result from the updated plan.

Sharing the plan for review

Before moving to the Tech Leader stage, consider sharing the PDF with:

  • Engineering leads — validate the tech stack and architecture choices
  • Product managers — validate the milestone scope and sequencing
  • Stakeholders / clients — validate the business requirements are captured correctly

Any feedback can be incorporated via the Architect chat before you proceed.

Next steps