Scope-Appropriate Architecture Right-size every architectural decision to the project's actual needs. Not every project needs hexagonal architecture, CQRS, or microservices. Core principle: Detect the project tier first, then constrain all downstream pattern choices to that tier's complexity ceiling. --- The 6 Project Tiers | Tier | LOC Ratio | Architecture | DB | Auth | Tests | |------|-----------|-------------|-----|------|-------| | 1. Interview/Take-home | 1.0-1.3x | Flat files, no layers | SQLite / JSON | None or basic | 8-15 focused | | 2. Hackathon/Prototype | 0.8-1.0x | Single file if…