# 3.4.5 Solution design, ISO 42024 ## Published contents Contents1 Scope2 Normative references3 Terms and definitions4 Architecture concepts4.1 Overview4.2 Architecture and architecting4.3 Architecture design and solution design4.4 Architecture definition and communication4.5 Stakeholder concerns and architectural aspects4.6 Architecture viewpoints and architecture views4.7 Architecture frameworks and architecture description languages4.8 Architecture descriptions and architecture models4.9 Reference architectures and reference models4.10 Life cycle and life history4.11 Architecting precepts5 Architecting principles5.1 Introduction to the principles5.2 Principles about the purpose of an architecture5.3 Principles about the focus of an architecture5.4 Principles about architecting outcomesTerms 3.2 Architecting concepts 3.2.1 Architecture3.2.2 Architecture feature3.2.3 Architecting3.2.4 Architecting principle3.2.5 Architecture principle3.2.6 Architecture framework3.2.7 Reference architecture3.3 Entity related concepts 3.3.1 Entity of interest3.3.2 Solution entity3.3.3 Environment3.3.4 Context3.3.5 Enterprise3.3.6 System3.3.7 Aspect3.3.8 Dimension3.4 Architecture design concepts 3.4.1 Design (noun)3.4.2 Architecture design3.4.3 Architecture information package3.4.4 Engineering effort3.4.5 Solution design3.4.6 Solution information package3.4.7 Stakeholder3.4.8 Stakeholder perspective3.4.9 Concern3.5 Architecture description concepts 3.5.1 Architecture description3.5.2 Solution description3.5.3 Architecture view3.5.4 Architecture viewpoint3.5.5 Model3.5.6 Metamodel3.5.7 Reference model3.6 Entity life cycle concepts 3.6.1 Life cycle3.6.2 Life cycle phase3.6.3 Life cycle stage3.6.4 Life historyAnnexes A.1 Architecture design and solution related entitiesA.2 Architecture expressed as a set of modelsA.3 Life cycle and life history conceptsA.4 Enterprise and system conceptsA.5 Duality of architectural decomposition and architectural synthesisB.1 BackgroundB.2 Aligning architecture in designB.3 Duality of architectureB.4 Pursuit of opportunities Home / Glossary 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. - definition - Term - ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024 - Last updated: 2026-10-21 ## 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. Ask your teamWhich solution decision in this build changed an architecture property, and where was that change decided? ## 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 - 3.4.2 - 3.4.4 - 3.4.6 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 Source: https://iso-42024-revision-checker.theartofservice.com/glossary/solution-design/