Software Architecture Beyond Blueprints (SATURN 2009)

Every software has an architecture; hence every organization dealing with the software life cycle is dealing with architecture in some form or other. In the case of software, a fitting architecture would definitely increase the potential for its success; likewise, a well- aligned Software Architecture Organizational Entity (SAOE, consisting of architecture, architect(s), and architecture and design process) will have a great impact on the organizational success. To be effective SAOE must support and be supported by the ecosystem around it, which consists of four facets of software development—business, engineering, management and organization, each with different expectations. A lack of this alignment will 1) undermine the value and ROI of architecture, and 2) reduce the quality and effectiveness of the architecture itself. A good architecture starts with a well- positioned SAOE, which must be seeded by the realization of the fact that “architecture is not just about the blueprints.”