Information Seminar: How to Effectively Evaluate Software Architecture and Identify Risks

Software architecture is critical for business success. Think about it. Solid architecture prevents defects and system failures. It saves money and gets quality products to the market faster.

Most software-reliant systems are required to be modifiable and dependable. Frequently, they need to be secure, interoperable, and portable. How do you know whether your software architecture is suitable or at risk relative to its target system qualities?

The Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute (SEI), a world leader in architecture technology, is hosting an information seminar to discuss how using the Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method® (ATAM) — practical and proven architecture-centric evaluation techniques — can identify risks early in the life cycle. The SEI ATAM is used widely in many different settings. The ATAM is a tested process that has been used in many evaluations over the past ten or more years. If executed as defined, good results can almost be guaranteed.

But different situations may require you to configure the ATAM process and this creates the risk of failure. How will you know what changes are safe to make and which ones are dangerous?

In this session, we will discuss the basic principles that make the ATAM work. Changing or violating those principles carries a high risk of failure. The purpose of this session is to give you the understanding of the ATAM principles so that you can configure ATAM as the situation requires and successfully perform the architecture evaluation. After attending the seminar you will be able to understand the key ATAM principles to create and successfully perform an architecture evaluation.

Felix H. Bachmann will lead this seminar. Felix H. Bachmann is a senior member of the technical staff at the SEI working in the Research, Technology, and System Solutions Program. He is a SEI-Certified ATAM Leader as well as a contributor to and instructor for the ATAM Evaluator Training. Over the past ten years, Felix led many ATAMs in industries in the United States and Europe and trained more than 500 professionals as ATAM evaluators.

What:	Information Seminar: How to Effectively Evaluate Software Architecture and Identify Risks
When:	May 5, 2009
Time:	4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Where:	Radisson Greentree 101 Radisson Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15205

Registration: This event is being held in conjunction with the fifth annual SEI Architecture Technology User Network (SATURN) Conference. SATURN 2009 will cover architecture ranging from enterprise to systems and software and will feature keynote speakers Jonathan A. Zachman and Rebecca Wirfs-Brock. There is no charge to attend this information seminar, but you must register through LinkedIn Events.

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University.