Architecture design concepts · 3.4.5
Solution design
The information required, and enough, to implement solution entities or to support further engineering work. It refines and expands the architecture design by specifying the particulars of each element and the way it will be implemented.
What this term settles
Solution design is where architecture becomes buildable. The definition keeps it subordinate to the architecture design, which is the point: a solution design that contradicts the architecture is a finding, not a variation. It also gives the firm a way to distinguish an implementation choice from an architecture decision.
What to do in your practice
Keep a trace from each solution design element to the architecture design element it realises. Where a solution decision changes an architecture property, raise it as an architecture decision rather than absorbing it in delivery. Record the implementation particulars that a future maintainer will need.
Who it binds
The role that owns the practice area the term governs. A definition binds nobody on its own; it binds the reader who adopts the term in a method, a description or a contract.
Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for
- A trace matrix from solution elements to architecture elements.An auditor asks whether what was built follows the architecture.
- A list of architecture decisions raised by solution work.Shows the boundary was respected rather than eroded.
- The implementation particulars per element.Supports maintenance and later change.
- The review record where the solution design was accepted.Shows the design was tested before build.
Common gaps this page catches
- Solution design is treated as the only design, so architecture is reverse engineered from the build.
- Architecture changes are absorbed by delivery teams without a decision record.
- No trace exists, so an auditor cannot test alignment.
What to prepare before publication
Take one live solution and build the trace to its architecture design. The untraceable elements are either architecture gaps or undocumented decisions. Both belong in the plan.
Common questions
- What does Solution design mean in ISO 42024?
- The information required, and enough, to implement solution entities or to support further engineering work. It refines and expands the architecture design by specifying the particulars of each element and the way it will be implemented.
- What evidence should we keep for 3.4.5?
- A trace matrix from solution elements to architecture elements. A list of architecture decisions raised by solution work. The implementation particulars per element.
Related units
Source. ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024, Clause 3.4.5, Terms and definitions. Open the official record. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso-iec-ieee:42024:dis:ed-1:v1:en
ISO catalogue record 87510, the status, stage and page count.
Claim level: definition. The definition is in the public preview. This page states it in our own words and does not reproduce the text.
Last updated: 2026-10-21 · Markdown version · Check your practice