17.1Your default system-design framework

When they give you a scenario, mentally walk through this sequence:

1. Clarify requirement
2. Define API/event contract
3. Identify systems of record
4. Determine sync vs async
5. Design Mule flows/layers
6. Map data with DataWeave
7. Choose Salesforce operation
8. Handle errors/retries
9. Design idempotency
10. Consider volume/concurrency
11. Secure/configure
12. Test
13. Monitor

You don't need to recite all 13 every time.

But this keeps you from jumping directly into:

“I'd make a Salesforce Connector call…”

before understanding the problem.