In this chapter, we learnt the definitions of architecture and design, how they are different from each other and where they fit into our projects. It is very important to understand the different stages of a project life cycle so that we can manage our projects better and mitigate risks early. We also examined the difference between tiers and layers and the different ways we can structure our project using tiers and/or layers. In the coming chapters, we will go deeper into n-tier projects and, with sample applications and code, we will understand the advantages and disadvantages of each option.