Every architect faces moments where multiple technically viable solutions promise equal business value. Should we build a monolithic platform optimized for reliability or a microservices architecture optimized for innovation? Should we prioritize developer experience or operational excellence? When financial models, risk assessments, and technical evaluations all show viable paths, how do we choose?

This talk introduces a counterintuitive but practical approach: using your team's subjective experience of energy and coherence as legitimate data for architectural decisions. Drawing from real-world case studies, we'll explore how to recognize when you've hit the limits of analytical decision-making and need a different navigation tool.

You'll learn:
- How to distinguish between problems that need more analysis and choices that require selecting between fundamentally different theories of value
- Why team energy patterns (what genuinely excites vs. depletes your developers) predict sustainable execution better than many metrics
- A practical framework for testing architectural choices through small experiments that measure both traditional KPIs and vitality indicators
- How to bridge from an energizing vision to viable implementation without losing what made the choice compelling

This session is for architects and technical leaders who've noticed that their most successful projects weren't always the most "optimal" on paper—they were the ones that aligned with their team's deepest capabilities. You'll leave with concrete tools for making architectural decisions that generate sustainable business value by aligning technical choices with organizational vitality.

Format: 45-minute presentation with 5-minute Q&A
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Target Audience: Software architects, technical leads, CTOs, and engineering managers facing strategic architectural decisions