1. A method of architecting a detector for decoding an encoded sequence of data values to be received by the detector over a plurality of time increments, the method comprising: determining, based on a number of stages of an encoder which produces the encoded sequence of data values, a plurality of possible states of the encoder as a function of a plurality of possible input values which may be received by the encoder; determining a metric for each possible transition from each of the plurality of the possible states at a first time increment of the plurality of time increments to each of the plurality of possible states at a next subsequent time increment of the plurality of time increments based on each possible data value of the encoded sequence of data values which may be received at the next subsequent time increment; determining a first least number of binary digits capable of representing a first maximum value of the determined metrics; determining a maximum difference between a first accumulation of a first consecutive subset of the determined metrics and a second accumulation of a second consecutive subset of the determined metrics, the second consecutive subset being inclusive of the first consecutive subset; determining a second least number of binary digits capable of representing a maximum accumulation of any consecutive subset of the determined metrics, the second least number of binary digits being the sum of the first least number of binary digits plus a third least number of binary digits; and determining the third least number of binary digits based on the maximum difference, the first maximum value and the first least number of binary digits.