12-Week AI-Assisted Software Architecture Study Plan

Application Mapping + Architecture Fundamentals

Build a mental map of how an application is divided and how the pieces communicate.

Weekly missions

Map one real application: UI → logic → services → data → OS/hardware.Learn software architecture, components, dependencies, layers and boundaries.Draw a one-page architecture diagram of your current project.Ask Codex to explain the project structure, then verify every claim in the files.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

Software Architecture Fundamentals · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

Reading C++

Become comfortable reading existing C++ without trying to memorise the whole language.

Weekly missions

Recognise headers, source files, classes, functions, objects and namespaces.Learn pointers/references at a conceptual level and understand ownership.Trace one user action through 3–5 functions.Use Codex to annotate a difficult function, then rewrite the explanation in your own words.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

C++ Tutorial for Beginners — freeCodeCamp · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

Qt / Qt Quick / QML

Understand the boundary between declarative UI and C++ application logic.

Weekly missions

Learn QML components, properties, signals, slots and bindings.Trace a UI event from QML into C++ and back.Experiment with QML reload / rapid UI iteration.Identify what belongs in UI versus business logic.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

Qt/QML Signals and Slots — KDAB · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

Git as a Safety System

Make experimentation cheap, reversible and understandable.

Weekly missions

Learn repository, commit, branch, merge, diff and HEAD.Create a feature branch and make several small commits.Read diffs before accepting AI changes.Practise reverting a bad experiment without losing good work.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

Git and GitHub for Beginners — freeCodeCamp · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

Debugging in VS Code

Replace guessing with observation.

Weekly missions

Set breakpoints and step into/over/out of code.Inspect variables, call stack and runtime state.Reproduce a bug before attempting a fix.Have Codex propose hypotheses; prove or disprove them with the debugger.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

Debugging Fundamentals · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

Architecture in the Real Codebase

Return to architecture with enough technical vocabulary to analyse your own project.

Weekly missions

Identify modules, responsibilities and dependency direction.Find high-coupling areas and duplicated responsibilities.Distinguish architecture decisions from implementation details.Create an 'as-is' and a small 'better' architecture diagram.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

Software Architecture: Structure and Boundaries · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

Requirements → Implementation

Learn to turn an idea into engineering work that an AI or developer can execute safely.

Weekly missions

Write acceptance criteria before touching code.Split a feature into UI, logic, data, error handling and tests.Define what must not change.Give Codex bounded tasks instead of open-ended 'implement this' prompts.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

Requirements and Acceptance Criteria · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

Testing AI-Generated Changes

Treat generated code as an untrusted proposal that must earn confidence.

Weekly missions

Learn unit, integration, regression and manual testing.Create a minimal test matrix for a feature.Test happy path, boundaries, invalid state and recovery.Compare intended behaviour with the actual diff and runtime result.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

Software Testing Fundamentals · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

APIs, Interfaces & Data Flow

Understand contracts between parts of a system.

Weekly missions

Learn API, interface, protocol, request/response and event concepts.Trace data from source → transformation → consumer.Identify public versus private interfaces.Design a small interface before implementing its internals.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

APIs for Beginners — freeCodeCamp · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

Refactoring & Design Smells

Improve structure without accidentally changing behaviour.

Weekly missions

Recognise giant functions, duplicated logic, hidden state and excessive coupling.Learn refactoring versus feature work.Refactor one small area with tests/checks before and after.Review an AI refactor by diff, not by confidence of its explanation.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

Code Smells and How to Fix Them — A Coder's Journey · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

Advanced Codex Engineering Workflow

Move from asking AI to code toward supervising an engineering agent.

Weekly missions

Give context, constraints, acceptance criteria and verification steps.Require a plan before broad changes.Ask for smallest viable diffs and explicit assumptions.Use Git checkpoints; inspect changed files; run tests; challenge unexplained complexity.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

Architecture-Led Engineering Workflow · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.

Architect a Feature End-to-End

Demonstrate that you can guide a feature from idea to validated implementation.

Weekly missions

Write a one-page feature brief and architecture sketch.Define interfaces, state/data flow, failure modes and tests.Break work into reviewable commits and guide Codex through them.Perform final diff review, runtime validation and write a short postmortem.

Learn / watch

YouTubehands-on

End-to-End Architecture Review · Open exact video on YouTube ↗

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain this week's concept using an example from your own codebase.