# vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide architecture

> Architecture diagram of the GitHub repository vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide, generated by GitDiagram from its file tree, README and a sample of source files (last updated 2026-11-09). It is an AI-made overview: check details against the source.

- Interactive diagram: https://gitdiagram.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide
- Repository: https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide

## Overview

This repository is a practitioner guide for the Claude Certified Architect – Professional exam, not a software runtime. Its principal workflow is a learner moving through architecture decisions in the order the book argues the work happens: discovery and feasibility, design, system integration, proof, governance, handover, and team enablement. The chapter sequence and coverage map are documented in the README; no source excerpts were provided, so the graph shows only that documented reading flow and does not infer implementation relationships.

Main entry points: [`book/chapters/00-preface.md`](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/00-preface.md) (Preface), [`book/chapters/01-what-you-are-being-asked-to-decide.md`](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/01-what-you-are-being-asked-to-decide.md) (Decision framing), [`book/chapters/02-discovery-is-elicitation.md`](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/02-discovery-is-elicitation.md) (Discovery), [`book/chapters/03-sizing-scoping-feasibility.md`](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/03-sizing-scoping-feasibility.md) (Feasibility)

## Diagram (Mermaid)

```mermaid
flowchart TD

subgraph group_framing["Frame the problem"]
  node_preface["Preface<br/>[00-preface.md]"]
  node_decide["Decision framing"]
  node_discovery["Discovery"]
  node_feasibility["Feasibility"]
end

subgraph group_design["Choose the architecture"]
  node_patterns["Architecture patterns"]
  node_multiagent["Agent boundaries"]
  node_reference["Reference architectures"]
  node_context["Context strategy"]
  node_prompts["Prompt architecture"]
end

subgraph group_system["Build and prove"]
  node_retrieval["Retrieval design"]
  node_integration["Entry points and integration"]
  node_economics["Sizing the economics"]
  node_observability["Observability"]
  node_evaluation["Evaluation criteria"]
  node_experiments["A/B and shadow tests"]
end

subgraph group_govern["Govern and hand over"]
  node_safety["Safety and guardrails"]
  node_review["Human review"]
  node_evidence["Evidence and proof"]
  node_defense["Design defense"]
  node_feedback["Feedback and SLAs"]
  node_documentation["Durable documentation"]
  node_enablement["Team enablement"]
  node_coverage["Objective coverage map<br/>[95-coverage-map.md]"]
  node_glossary["Glossary<br/>[96-glossary.md]"]
end

node_learner(("Practitioner learner"))

node_learner -->|"reads guide"| node_preface
node_preface -->|"continues to"| node_decide
node_decide -->|"continues to"| node_discovery
node_discovery -->|"continues to"| node_feasibility
node_feasibility -->|"continues to"| node_patterns
node_patterns -->|"continues to"| node_multiagent
node_multiagent -->|"continues to"| node_reference
node_reference -->|"continues to"| node_context
node_context -->|"continues to"| node_prompts
node_prompts -->|"continues to"| node_retrieval
node_retrieval -->|"continues to"| node_integration
node_integration -->|"continues to"| node_economics
node_economics -->|"continues to"| node_observability
node_observability -->|"continues to"| node_evaluation
node_evaluation -->|"continues to"| node_experiments
node_experiments -->|"continues to"| node_safety
node_safety -->|"continues to"| node_review
node_review -->|"continues to"| node_evidence
node_evidence -->|"continues to"| node_defense
node_defense -->|"continues to"| node_feedback
node_feedback -->|"continues to"| node_documentation
node_documentation -->|"continues to"| node_enablement

click node_preface "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/00-preface.md"
click node_decide "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/01-what-you-are-being-asked-to-decide.md"
click node_discovery "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/02-discovery-is-elicitation.md"
click node_feasibility "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/03-sizing-scoping-feasibility.md"
click node_patterns "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/04-augmented-call-workflow-agent.md"
click node_multiagent "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/05-when-a-second-agent-is-a-liability.md"
click node_reference "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/06-reference-architectures-and-live-state.md"
click node_context "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/07-model-context-window-context-strategy.md"
click node_prompts "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/08-prompts-as-architecture.md"
click node_retrieval "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/09-chunking-indexing-retrieval.md"
click node_integration "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/10-entry-points-routes-integration.md"
click node_economics "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/11-the-numbers-before-you-build.md"
click node_observability "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/12-observability-at-scale.md"
click node_evaluation "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/13-evals-as-acceptance-criteria.md"
click node_experiments "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/14-ab-shadow-and-not-overclaiming.md"
click node_safety "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/15-the-safety-stack-and-guardrail-placement.md"
click node_review "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/16-human-review-by-stakes.md"
click node_evidence "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/17-proving-it-to-someone-who-was-not-there.md"
click node_defense "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/18-defending-the-design.md"
click node_feedback "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/19-feedback-loops-and-slas.md"
click node_documentation "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/20-documentation-that-survives.md"
click node_enablement "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/21-team-enablement-and-debugging.md"
click node_coverage "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/95-coverage-map.md"
click node_glossary "https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/96-glossary.md"

classDef toneNeutral fill:#f8fafc,stroke:#334155,stroke-width:1.5px,color:#0f172a
classDef toneBlue fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#2563eb,stroke-width:1.5px,color:#172554
classDef toneAmber fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#d97706,stroke-width:1.5px,color:#78350f
classDef toneMint fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#16a34a,stroke-width:1.5px,color:#14532d
classDef toneRose fill:#ffe4e6,stroke:#e11d48,stroke-width:1.5px,color:#881337
classDef toneIndigo fill:#e0e7ff,stroke:#4f46e5,stroke-width:1.5px,color:#312e81
classDef toneTeal fill:#ccfbf1,stroke:#0f766e,stroke-width:1.5px,color:#134e4a
class node_preface,node_decide,node_discovery,node_feasibility toneBlue
class node_patterns,node_multiagent,node_reference,node_context,node_prompts toneAmber
class node_retrieval,node_integration,node_economics,node_observability,node_evaluation,node_experiments toneMint
class node_safety,node_review,node_evidence,node_defense,node_feedback,node_documentation,node_enablement,node_coverage,node_glossary toneRose
class node_learner toneIndigo
```

## Components

### Frame the problem

- [Preface](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/00-preface.md): `book/chapters/00-preface.md`
- [Decision framing](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/01-what-you-are-being-asked-to-decide.md): `book/chapters/01-what-you-are-being-asked-to-decide.md`
- [Discovery](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/02-discovery-is-elicitation.md): `book/chapters/02-discovery-is-elicitation.md`
- [Feasibility](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/03-sizing-scoping-feasibility.md): `book/chapters/03-sizing-scoping-feasibility.md`

### Choose the architecture

- [Architecture patterns](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/04-augmented-call-workflow-agent.md): `book/chapters/04-augmented-call-workflow-agent.md`
- [Agent boundaries](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/05-when-a-second-agent-is-a-liability.md): `book/chapters/05-when-a-second-agent-is-a-liability.md`
- [Reference architectures](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/06-reference-architectures-and-live-state.md): `book/chapters/06-reference-architectures-and-live-state.md`
- [Context strategy](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/07-model-context-window-context-strategy.md): `book/chapters/07-model-context-window-context-strategy.md`
- [Prompt architecture](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/08-prompts-as-architecture.md): `book/chapters/08-prompts-as-architecture.md`

### Build and prove

- [Retrieval design](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/09-chunking-indexing-retrieval.md): `book/chapters/09-chunking-indexing-retrieval.md`
- [Entry points and integration](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/10-entry-points-routes-integration.md): `book/chapters/10-entry-points-routes-integration.md`
- [Sizing the economics](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/11-the-numbers-before-you-build.md): `book/chapters/11-the-numbers-before-you-build.md`
- [Observability](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/12-observability-at-scale.md): `book/chapters/12-observability-at-scale.md`
- [Evaluation criteria](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/13-evals-as-acceptance-criteria.md): `book/chapters/13-evals-as-acceptance-criteria.md`
- [A/B and shadow tests](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/14-ab-shadow-and-not-overclaiming.md): `book/chapters/14-ab-shadow-and-not-overclaiming.md`

### Govern and hand over

- [Safety and guardrails](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/15-the-safety-stack-and-guardrail-placement.md): `book/chapters/15-the-safety-stack-and-guardrail-placement.md`
- [Human review](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/16-human-review-by-stakes.md): `book/chapters/16-human-review-by-stakes.md`
- [Evidence and proof](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/17-proving-it-to-someone-who-was-not-there.md): `book/chapters/17-proving-it-to-someone-who-was-not-there.md`
- [Design defense](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/18-defending-the-design.md): `book/chapters/18-defending-the-design.md`
- [Feedback and SLAs](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/19-feedback-loops-and-slas.md): `book/chapters/19-feedback-loops-and-slas.md`
- [Durable documentation](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/20-documentation-that-survives.md): `book/chapters/20-documentation-that-survives.md`
- [Team enablement](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/21-team-enablement-and-debugging.md): `book/chapters/21-team-enablement-and-debugging.md`
- [Objective coverage map](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/95-coverage-map.md): `book/chapters/95-coverage-map.md`
- [Glossary](https://github.com/vkorost/claude-certified-architect-professional-guide/blob/main/book/chapters/96-glossary.md): `book/chapters/96-glossary.md`

### Other components

- **Practitioner learner**

## Connections

- Practitioner learner → Preface: reads guide (evidence: `README.md`)
- Preface → Decision framing: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Decision framing → Discovery: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Discovery → Feasibility: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Feasibility → Architecture patterns: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Architecture patterns → Agent boundaries: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Agent boundaries → Reference architectures: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Reference architectures → Context strategy: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Context strategy → Prompt architecture: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Prompt architecture → Retrieval design: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Retrieval design → Entry points and integration: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Entry points and integration → Sizing the economics: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Sizing the economics → Observability: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Observability → Evaluation criteria: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Evaluation criteria → A/B and shadow tests: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- A/B and shadow tests → Safety and guardrails: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Safety and guardrails → Human review: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Human review → Evidence and proof: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Evidence and proof → Design defense: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Design defense → Feedback and SLAs: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Feedback and SLAs → Durable documentation: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)
- Durable documentation → Team enablement: continues to (evidence: `README.md`)