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What an ADR review-date system needs
An ADR can remain technically accurate while its assumptions, policy references, dependencies, or implementation guidance become outdated. A useful system makes responsibility and review timing explicit, checks the record automatically, and gives overdue items a destination.
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- Owner: Name the person or role responsible for maintaining the record and coordinating its review. AWS guidance assigns owners responsibility for maintaining and communicating ADR content; version control also preserves who changed a record and when. AWS ADR process and The GDS Way.
- Metadata: Store status, decision date, and next review date in a consistent, machine-readable format. Add the owner if your chosen format supports it.
- Automated validation: Check that required fields exist, dates parse, and the review date complies with your policy.
- Follow-through: Show overdue records in CI output, an issue, or a catalogue where someone can act on them.
Choose a review cadence and document it
There is no single cadence established across the cited guidance. The DGOV DTT Contributing Guide sets annual reviews as its default and allows a shorter interval when appropriate: “Review dates are annual by default: set Review exactly one year after Date.” That is a specific government contribution policy, not a universal ADR standard. DGOV DTT Contributing Guide.
AWS says an ADR should be reviewed at least once before acceptance and that the owner is responsible for rescheduling after rework. For ongoing reviews, choose an interval that reflects how quickly the decision’s context, policy, dependencies, or risks could change; write down the rule and any exceptions. AWS ADR process and AWS ADR FAQ.
#1 Best Overall
Put the next date in the ADR
Use one documented date format and a predictable metadata block. The WA guide uses Status, Date, and Review, with the review date one year after the decision date by default. A team might also include an Owner field:
## Status
Accepted
## Date
2026-10-04
## Review
2027-10-04
## Owner
Platform architecture teamThis is an illustrative format, not a required standard. Match field names and syntax to the repository’s existing ADR template and validator.
Rank #2
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Validate ADR metadata in CI
The WA contribution guide lists just check-metadata to verify status, date, and review metadata. It does not specify that the command rejects overdue dates, so do not assume metadata validation also enforces freshness. A repository-specific check can validate both structure and dates.
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What the check should validate
- Every in-scope ADR has the required status, decision date, review date, and owner, if ownership is part of your policy.
- Dates use the documented format and parse successfully.
- The review date follows the decision date and any interval rule your team has chosen.
- Overdue records are reported, warned on, or blocked according to an explicit policy.
- Exceptions—such as archived or superseded decisions—are visible and handled deliberately rather than silently ignored.
Run checks on changes and on a schedule
Run the validator in pull-request CI so changed ADRs cannot introduce missing or malformed metadata. Also run an overdue-date scan on a schedule: a date can pass while the repository remains untouched, so pull-request checks alone will not catch it. The scheduled job can report the ADR path, owner, status, and review date in its output or create a tracked issue. This is an implementation pattern, not a CI requirement prescribed by the cited guidance.
Rank #3
- Parse: Read metadata from every ADR in scope.
- Validate: Fail for missing or malformed required fields and apply the documented date rules.
- Report: Identify each overdue file and its owner and review date.
- Route: Warn, create an issue, or block the check according to policy.
- Recheck: Run the same scan on a schedule so dates are evaluated even without repository changes.
Whether overdue records should block a merge is a governance choice. A warning or issue creates a reminder with less friction; a blocking gate makes review more enforceable but needs a clear exception path for records that are intentionally dormant, archived, or superseded. The cited examples do not prescribe one universal enforcement level.
Make overdue ADRs visible and review them deliberately
A status hidden in file metadata is easy to miss. An index or catalogue can surface the owner, current status, last-reviewed date, and next review date. The Ministry of Justice Analytical Platform catalogue demonstrates this kind of visibility: when accessed on 4 October 2026, it showed a last-reviewed date of 19 December 2024 and the status “Review overdue.” That is an example of surfacing overdue work, not a required catalogue design. Ministry of Justice Analytical Platform architecture catalogue.
At review, reassess the decision in context rather than merely changing the date. The WA guide’s checklist includes status, current policy and standards, external and related links, compliance mapping, implementation checklist, and clarity. Record the outcome and set the next review date under your policy; the guide advances the date by one year after a review is complete.
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The GDS Way says: “Any ADRs that have not been fully implemented across all the relevant teams should be a topic for your regular discussion and review meeting.” Its page was last reviewed on 5 March 2026 and marked for review again on 5 September 2026; that date had passed by 4 October 2026. Treat the guidance as useful, while recognizing that its own stated review date was overdue at that point. The GDS Way, “Documenting architecture decisions”.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose what happens when a decision changes
Teams should state whether accepted ADRs can be edited and what to do when a decision changes. Guidance differs, so do not combine distinct lifecycle approaches into an assumed universal rule.
- Keep accepted records immutable and supersede them: AWS and Microsoft recommend treating accepted ADRs as immutable and creating a new ADR when a decision changes. Link the new record to the one it replaces. AWS ADR process and Microsoft ADR guidance.
- Allow limited amendments: The GDS Way allows updates for clarifications or added consequences, and recommends a new ADR when a decision changes after some implementation has occurred. The GDS Way.
Whichever rule you choose, preserve the decision history, make the current status discoverable, and connect superseding records so reviewers can follow the change.
Quick Recap
A practical rollout
- Set the policy: Decide who owns each ADR, what statuses are supported, the review cadence, what counts as overdue, and whether overdue records warn or block.
- Update the template: Add required metadata fields and a date format; explain how archived and superseded records are treated.
- Validate metadata: Add a repository-specific check to pull-request CI, using an existing command such as
just check-metadataonly if it matches your repository’s needs. - Schedule an overdue scan: Run it periodically and route results to a catalogue, issue tracker, or responsible owners.
- Review and record outcomes: Revalidate context and guidance, document whether the decision stands or changes, and set the next review date.
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