title: “Software Project Mandatory Documentation Framework” category: Strategic Planning status: Complete created: 2026-02-25 related:

• “Enhancement Roadmap”
• “Supply Strategy — Architecture”

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📘 Software Project — Mandatory Documentation Framework

[!IMPORTANT] This framework is mandatory for all new software projects to reduce scope creep, architecture degradation, security vulnerabilities, timeline overruns, and technical debt accumulation. All 9 categories must be completed and approved before development begins.

Version: 1.0
Status: Pre-Development Phase
Prepared By: ___________________
Approved By: ___________________
Date: ___________________

🗺️ Documentation Lifecycle

graph TD
    A[1️⃣ PRD] --> B{Design Phase}
    B --> C[2️⃣ HLD]
    C --> D[3️⃣ LLD]
    D --> E[4️⃣ API Spec]
    D --> F[5️⃣ Data Model]
    B --> G[6️⃣ Security & Threat Model]
    B --> H[7️⃣ DevOps Strategy]
    B --> I[8️⃣ Testing Strategy]
    B --> J[9️⃣ Project Plan]
    I --> K[🔟 Compliance]
    J --> L[✅ Go/No-Go Approval]
    
    style A fill:#3b82f6,color:#fff
    style L fill:#10b981,color:#fff

1️⃣ Product Requirements Document (PRD)

1.1 Executive Summary

• Project Name:
• One-line Description:
• Target Market:
• Business Objective:

1.2 Problem Statement

• Current pain point:
• Who is affected:
• Business impact:

1.3 Objectives

• Business Goals:
• User Goals:
• Success Metrics (KPIs):

1.4 User Personas

Persona 1

• Role:
• Goals:
• Frustrations:
• Needs:

Persona 2

• Role:
• Goals:
• Frustrations:
• Needs:

1.5 User Journeys

• Entry point:
• Core interactions:
• Exit flow:
• Edge cases:

1.6 Functional Requirements

Feature 1

• Description:
• Priority:
• Acceptance Criteria:

Feature 2

• Description:
• Priority:
• Acceptance Criteria:

1.7 Non-Functional Requirements

• Performance targets:
• Scalability expectations:
• Availability (SLA/SLO):
• Security requirements:
• Accessibility:
• Localization:
• Audit logging:

1.8 Scope Definition

• MVP scope:
• Out-of-scope:
• Future roadmap:

2️⃣ High-Level Design (HLD)

2.1 Architecture Overview

• Architectural style:
• Major components:

2.2 System Context

• External actors:
• External systems:

2.3 Container Diagram

• Frontend:
• Backend:
• Database:
• Cache:
• Queue:
• External APIs:

2.4 Technology Stack

• Frontend:
• Backend:
• Database:
• Infrastructure:
• Observability tools:

2.5 Deployment Topology

• Environments:
• Cloud provider:
• Load balancer strategy:
• Scaling strategy:

2.6 Integration Points

• Third-party APIs:
• Webhooks:
• Messaging systems:

3️⃣ Low-Level Design (LLD)

3.1 Module Breakdown

• Feature modules:
• Responsibilities:

3.2 Class / Component Structure

• Entities:
• Services:
• Repositories:
• Controllers:

3.3 Core Sequence Flows

• Authentication flow:
• Primary business transaction flow:

3.4 Error Handling Strategy

• Error structure:
• Exception hierarchy:
• Logging standard:

3.5 Validation Rules

• Input validation:
• Business rule validation:

3.6 Versioning Strategy

• API versioning:
• Database migration strategy:

4️⃣ API Specification

4.1 Authentication

• Auth method:
• Token lifecycle:
• Refresh mechanism:

4.2 Endpoint Template

Endpoint Name

• Method:
• Path:
• Description:
• Authentication Required:
• Request Schema:
• Response Schema:
• Error Codes:
• Rate Limits:

4.3 Webhooks (If Applicable)

• Event types:
• Payload schema:
• Retry logic:

5️⃣ Data Model & ER Documentation

5.1 Entity Definitions

Entity Name

• Attributes:
• Data Types:
• Constraints:

5.2 Relationships

• One-to-One:
• One-to-Many:
• Many-to-Many:

5.3 Indexing Strategy

• Frequently queried fields:
• Composite indexes:

5.4 Data Retention Policy

• Archival strategy:
• Soft delete / hard delete rules:

6️⃣ Security & Threat Model

6.1 Authentication Model

• Identity provider:
• Token storage:

6.2 Authorization Model

• Role definitions:
• Permission matrix:

6.3 Data Protection

• Encryption at rest:
• Encryption in transit:
• Key management:

6.4 Threat Modeling

• Identified threats:
• Risk severity:
• Mitigation strategies:

6.5 Compliance Requirements

• GDPR:
• PCI-DSS:
• SOC2:
• Other regulations:

7️⃣ DevOps & Deployment Strategy

7.1 Repository Strategy

• Branching model:
• Commit convention:
• PR review process:

7.2 CI/CD Pipeline

• Build steps:
• Test automation:
• Static code analysis:
• Security scanning:

7.3 Deployment Strategy

• Deployment model:
• Rollback plan:

7.4 Infrastructure as Code

• Tooling:
• Environment configurations:

7.5 Observability

• Logging:
• Metrics:
• Tracing:
• Alerting thresholds:

8️⃣ Testing Strategy

8.1 Unit Testing

• Framework:
• Coverage target:

8.2 Integration Testing

• DB test approach:
• External dependency mocking:

8.3 End-to-End Testing

• Tooling:
• Critical flows covered:

8.4 Performance Testing

• Load testing plan:
• Stress testing plan:

8.5 Security Testing

• SAST:
• DAST:
• Dependency scanning:

9️⃣ Project Plan & Execution Roadmap

9.1 Milestones

• Phase 1:
• Phase 2:
• Phase 3:

9.2 Sprint Planning

• Sprint duration:
• Estimation method:

9.3 Risk Register

Risk Probability Impact Mitigation

9.4 Definition of Done (DoD)

• Code reviewed
• Tests passing
• Documentation updated
• Deployed to staging
• Security checks passed

🔟 Compliance & Legal

10.1 Privacy Policy

10.2 Terms of Service

10.3 Data Processing Agreement

10.4 Audit Logging Requirements

✅ Go / No-Go Approval

Before development begins:

• PRD Approved
• HLD Approved
• LLD Approved
• API Spec Finalized
• Data Model Reviewed
• Security Review Completed
• DevOps Pipeline Ready
• Testing Strategy Approved
• Timeline & Budget Confirmed

🖊 Approval Signatures

Product Owner: ____________________
Solution Architect: ____________________
Engineering Lead: ____________________
Security Lead: ____________________
DevOps Lead: ____________________

📌 Final Note

[!WARNING] This documentation framework is mandatory for reducing:

• Scope creep
• Architecture degradation
• Security vulnerabilities
• Timeline overruns
• Technical debt accumulation

🧠 Quick Review Flashcards