The Quality Attribute Workshop (QAW) is a facilitated method that engages system stakeholders early in the system development life cycle to discover the driving quality attributes of a software-intensive system. The QAW is system-centric and stakeholder focused; it is used before the software architecture has been created. The QAW provides an opportunity to gather stakeholders together to provide input about their needs and expectations with respect to key quality attributes that are of particular concern to them.

The QAW was developed to complement the SEI Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) and provides a way to identify important quality attributes and clarify system requirements before the software architecture has been created.

Challenges

• How can you determine which quality attribute requirements are important before a system is  built?
• How can you find out stakeholders' needs and expectations in an organized and effective way ?
• How do you improve and increase communication among stakeholders?

Benefits

The QAW helps you determine the right qualities for your system before it is developed—something that is crucial for system success and for your stakeholders' satisfaction. Clarifying those requirements and then achieving them in the first version of your system, saves money and avoids future rework. The QAW provides a structured and efficient venue for communicating with your stakeholders, and supports analysis and testing throughout the life of the system.

The QAW provides a forum for a wide variety of stakeholders to gather in one room at one time very early in the development process. It is often the first time such a meeting takes place and generally leads to the identification of conflicting assumptions about system requirements.

Who Would Benefit

Organizations that are in the early stage of system development and need to clarify the system's quality attribute requirements and stakeholders' expectations for the system.

Description

The QAW involves these steps:

1. QAW Presentation and Introductions
   QAW facilitators describe the motivation for the QAW and explain each step of the method.
2. Business/Programmatic Presentation
   A representative of the stakeholder community presents the business and/or programmatic drivers for the system.
3. Architectural Plan Presentation
   A technical stakeholder presents the system architectural plans as they stand with respect to early documents, such as high-level system descriptions, context drawings, or other artifacts that describe some of  the system's technical details.
4. Identification of  Architectural Drivers
   Architectural drivers often include high-level requirements,  business/mission concerns, goals and objectives, and various quality  attributes. During this step, the facilitators and stakeholders reach a consensus about which drivers are key to the system.
5. Scenario Brainstorming
   Stakeholders generate real-world scenarios for the system. Scenarios  comprise a related stimulus, an environmental condition, and a response. Facilitators ensure that at least one scenario address each of the  architectural drivers identified in Step 4.
6. Scenario Consolidation
   Scenarios that are similar in content are consolidated.
7. Scenario Prioritization
   Stakeholders prioritize the scenarios through a voting process.
8. Scenario Refinement
   The top four or five scenarios are further clarified and the following are described:
   • the business/programmatic goals that are affected by those scenarios
   • the relevant quality attributes associated with those scenarios

   In addition, stakeholders get a chance to ask questions and raise any concerns they have about those scenarios.

Organizations can use the QAW results to

• update the organization's architectural vision
• refine system and software requirements
• guide the development of prototypes
• exercise simulations
• understand and clarify the system's architectural drivers
• influence the order in which the architecture is developed
• describe the system's operation

In addition, after the architecture is created, the scenarios can be used as seed scenarios during an ATAM evaluation.

Availability

SEI staff is available to conduct a QAW for your organization. Contact us using the link in the For more information box at the bottom of this page.

Software Architecture Training and Publications

Training

Publications