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[Feature] Solution Architect — independent design-review role/agent (Rex for non-code) #471

@atlas-apex

Description

@atlas-apex

User Story

As an engineering org running ApexYard, I want an independent Solution Architect review of every technical design / migration AgDR / feature spec before the Build phase, so that design-level problems (NFR gaps, wrong patterns, untracked decisions, risky migrations) are caught before code is written — the "Rex for the non-code stuff" gap.

Background

The Tech Lead (Hisham) authors technical designs + AgDRs, but nobody independently reviews them before Build. The Head of Engineering (Khalid) owns enterprise/strategic/cross-project architecture, so a separate Enterprise Architect would duplicate him. One Solution Architect (persona Tariq) fills the review gap. Authoring stays with the Tech Lead — this role is review-only, modeled on the Code Reviewer (Rex).

Acceptance Criteria

  • New roles/architecture/ department (6th) with roles/architecture/solution-architect.md (persona Tariq, isolated-work-class, structured review checklist)
  • .claude/agents/solution-architect.md — read-only review agent (no Write/Edit), discovers + applies handbooks like Rex, HARD STOP: submit a review and write the sign-off marker on approve
  • /design-review skill (invoke Tariq on a design artifact) + /approve-architecture skill (record the sign-off marker)
  • require-architecture-review.sh gate hook (Design→Build) + tests, modeled on require-design-review-for-ui.sh
  • detect-role-trigger.sh fires Tariq on design-artifact triggers (+ test); role-triggers.md activation table updated
  • workflow-gates.md + workflows/sdlc.md wire the gate into Phase 2 (Technical Design)
  • CLAUDE.md departments table + counts updated; AgDR recording the decision

Out of Scope

  • Enterprise Architect role (folded into Head of Engineering)
  • An authoring SA (authoring stays with the Tech Lead)
  • Retrofitting the gate onto in-flight designs

Glossary

Term Definition
Solution Architect (Tariq) New review-only role that reviews technical designs before Build; the non-code analog of the Code Reviewer (Rex).
Review lens The structured set of architecture-review competencies Tariq checks each design against — quality attributes / NFRs, design patterns, technical debt, decision (AgDR) linkage, risk, trade-off analysis, requirements traceability, migration safety.
Sign-off marker A gitignored session file (<id>-architecture.approved) whose existence + matching SHA lets the Design→Build gate pass.

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