Principles for Evaluating the Quality Attributes of a Software Architecture

Software quality is the degree to which software possesses a desired combination of attributes (e.g., reliability, interoperability). In this paper we describe a few principles for analyzing a software architecture to determine if it exhibits certain quality attributes. We show how analysis techniques indigenous to the various quality attribute communities can provide a foundation for performing software architecture evaluation. We also show how the principles provide a context for existing evaluation approaches such as scenarios, questionnaires, checklists, and measurements. Our immediate goal in identifying these principles for attribute-based architecture evaluation is to better integrate existing techniques and metrics into software architecture practice, not necessarily to invent new attribute-specific techniques and metrics. A longer-term goal is to codify these principles into systematic procedures or methods for architecture evaluation. This paper is an initial step towards identifying the ingredients of such methods.

PDF [275 KB]

Authors

Mario R. Barbacci

Mark H. Klein

Charles B. Weinstock

This report is related to the following area(s) of work:

Software Architecture

Technical Report
CMU/SEI-96-TR-036
May 1997

Cite This Report

SEI:

Barbacci, Mario; Klein, Mark; & Weinstock, Charles. Principles for Evaluating the Quality Attributes of a Software Architecture (CMU/SEI-96-TR-036). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, 1997. http://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/abstracts/reports/96tr036.cfm

IEEE:

M. Barbacci, M. Klein, and C. Weinstock, "Principles for Evaluating the Quality Attributes of a Software Architecture," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Technical Report CMU/SEI-96-TR-036, 1997. http://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/abstracts/reports/96tr036.cfm

APA:

Barbacci, M., Klein, M., & Weinstock, C. (1997). Principles for Evaluating the Quality Attributes of a Software Architecture (CMU/SEI-96-TR-036). Retrieved May 21, 2013, from the Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University website: http://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/abstracts/reports/96tr036.cfm

CHI:

Barbacci, Mario, Mark Klein, and Charles Weinstock. Principles for Evaluating the Quality Attributes of a Software Architecture (CMU/SEI-96-TR-036). Pittsburgh, PA: Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, 1997. http://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/abstracts/reports/96tr036.cfm

MLA:

Barbacci, M., Klein, M., & Weinstock, C. 1997. Principles for Evaluating the Quality Attributes of a Software Architecture (Technical Report CMU/SEI-96-TR-036). Pittsburgh: Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. http://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/abstracts/reports/96tr036.cfm

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