Design based on facts not assumptions

When designing the architecture of a system (irrespective of its nature or purpose) always rely on these 2 rules:

1. Base your designs on Facts about the system and not Assumptions.

2. If the facts are minimal, draft and iterate.

The most effective architectures of a system are a clear-cut depiction and description of all the layers of that given system with multiple levels of depth. The only way to guarantee the integrity of your design is for it to be based on validated truths and not speculations. Hypotheses have to be drafted using another method.