conventiondriven

Conventiondriven, or convention-driven, is an adjective used to describe actions, systems, or designs guided primarily by established conventions, norms, or implicit rules rather than by explicit, bespoke configurations. It emphasizes predictable behavior through shared patterns, enabling faster development, simpler maintenance, and easier collaboration, at the potential cost of reduced flexibility when edge cases arise.

In software engineering, convention-driven design refers to architectures and toolchains that rely on standard patterns such as conventional file layouts, naming schemes, and default behaviors. This reduces boilerplate and configuration effort and supports rapid onboarding. A classic example is convention over configuration, where a framework provides default values and routes that work out of the box; developers only override those that require customization. The term is used to describe frameworks and practices that favor implicit guidance over explicit configuration.

In API design and data modeling, convention-driven approaches adopt standard conventions for resource naming, versioning, and serialization. In governance, organizational processes can be described as convention-driven when decisions follow established norms, SOPs, and cultural expectations rather than ad hoc rules.

Advantages include speed, consistency, and lower cognitive load for new contributors. Limitations include reduced visibility of behavior not explicitly specified, potential mismatch with real-world edge cases, and the risk of drift if conventions are outdated or poorly documented.

Related concepts include convention over configuration, standardization, and design patterns.