DEVOPSdigest

While nearly two in three organizations (63%) claim architecture is integrated throughout development (from design to deployment and beyond), more than half (56%) have documentation that doesn't match the architecture in production, according to the 2025 Architecture in Software Development study from vFunction.

Respondents report that the impact of this architecture disconnect has potentially resulted in project delays (53%), security or compliance challenges (50%), scalability limitations (46%), and reduced engineering team productivity (28%). As 65% of companies believe that AI solutions will simplify their application architecture, the need for improved governance, AI-driven insights, and advanced observability grows.

"When architectural documentation diverges from reality, businesses suffer tangible consequences," said Moti Rafalin, CEO and co-founder of vFunction. "Our research shows this isn't just a technical problem. In fact, 47% of organizations reported unexpected operational costs tied to misalignment between their documented architecture and what's actually implemented. This kind of disconnect directly impacts efficiency, security, scalability, and ultimately, the bottom line."

When Documentation Lags Behind Production Environment Reality

The majority of respondents (56%) admit that their documentation is not fully aligned with production realities, leading to discrepancies between planned and actual architecture. This misalignment is further highlighted by a 16-point perception gap between leadership and practitioners that reveals a disconnect in how the system is understood by each role: 52% of executives report fully aligned documentation compared to just 36% of practitioners.

Even more telling, 70% of executives acknowledge project delays due to architectural misalignment, compared to only 49% of practitioners, suggesting that executives recognize business impacts while practitioners focus on technical issues.

This misalignment varies by industry, with software and hardware companies demonstrating better alignment (63% fully aligned), while financial services (31%) and manufacturing (34%) face greater gaps.

Organization size also plays a decisive role in documentation quality. Smaller companies ($100-$999 million) maintain better alignment (52% fully aligned) compared to larger enterprises (over $1 billion) at 40%, suggesting that architectural control decreases as organizations scale.

Solutions to Bridge the Architectural Divide

Team processes and dynamics must evolve to address these challenges. Respondents expressed a need for better documentation tools (69%), stronger architectural governance (69%), and improved architecture integration throughout the software development life cycle (SDLC) (66%). However, priorities to bridge the divide differ between roles: executives emphasize governance (81%) and documentation tools (79%), while practitioners focus on improving collaboration between architects and development teams (69%). This indicates an opportunity for organizations to better align priorities across organizational levels.

"Successful architecture integration across the SDLC requires merging the perspectives of both leaders and practitioners — combining top-down vision with frontline expertise," said Rafalin. "When leadership pushes governance and tools while practitioners champion collaboration, both sides miss the full picture. Aligning these priorities ensures that architecture initiatives succeed, delivering value across the organization."

Read more on APMdigest: Misaligned Architecture Causes Service Disruptions, High Operational Costs and Security Challenges