Software Architecture Tools and Methods
SEI tools and methods are solutions to the problems associated with software-intensive systems that help developers and acquirers improve their practices. Specific software architecture tools and methods are
- Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs (ARID)
- Architecture-Based System Evolution
- Architecture Competence Assessment
- Architecture Expert (ArchE)
- Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) and the System ATAM
- Attribute-Driven Design (ADD) Method
- Cost Benefit Analysis Method (CBAM)
- Mission Thread Workshop
- Quality Attribute Workshop (QAW)
- Views and Beyond Approach to Architecture Documentation
Additional details are provided at Software Architecture: Products and Services.
Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs
(ARID))
The SEI Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs (ARID) method is
a low-cost, high-benefit method for reviewing a preliminary software design
(such as for a component or subsystem) for suitability in its intended usage
context and environment. The ARID method relies on assembling the design’s
stakeholders to articulate what the important usage scenarios are and then
exercising the design to make sure those scenarios are satisfied by the design.
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Architecture-Based System
Evolution
SEI Architecture-Based System Evolution methods are used to
ensure that a system continues to serve its business and mission goals
throughout its lifetime. These methods are used for redesigning architectures
to improve deficiencies relative to quality attribute and business and mission
goals and to evaluate and design architecture evolution strategies.
Architecture Competence
Assessment
The SEI Architecture Competence Assessment instrument is used
to determine an organization’s competence to perform architecture-centric
development and evolution. It determines whether an organization possesses the
ability to grow, use, and sustain the necessary skills and knowledge to
effectively use architecture-based development practices.
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Architecture Expert (ArchE)
The SEI
Architecture Expert (ArchE) is a rulebased architecture design assistant that
has knowledge of quality attribute models, how to analyze an architecture for
its quality attribute properties, and how to manage tradeoffs among the quality
attributes. ArchE makes this knowledge accessible to every software architect
to generate software architectures with predictable quality attribute
properties. Read more
...
Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) and
the System ATAM
The SEI Architecture Tradeoff Analysis
Method® (ATAM®) evaluation process is used for
evaluating software architectures relative to quality attribute goals. The ATAM
exposes architectural risks that potentially inhibit the achievement of an
organization’s business goals. The ATAM is so named because it not only
reveals quality attribute-specific risks but also provides insight into how
those quality goals interact with, or tradeoff against, each other. A variant
of the ATAM, known as the System ATAM, is used to evaluate system
architectures. Read more
...
Attribute-Driven Design (ADD) Method
The
SEI Attribute-Driven Design (ADD) method is a systematic approach to designing
a software architecture. It is based on knowing both the functional and quality
requirements of systems and knowing the architectural approaches that have
proven to be successful in other systems.
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Cost Benefit Analysis Method (CBAM)
The
SEI Cost Benefi t Analysis Method (CBAM) is an architecture-centric method for
analyzing the cost benefi t implications of architectural decisions while
managing uncertainty in future business and mission goals. It provides a basis
for informed decision making about architectural design and evolution. The CBAM
builds on the ATAM, though an ATAM evaluation is not an absolute prerequisite.
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Mission Thread Workshop
The SEI Mission
Thread Workshop is used to elicit quality attribute considerations associated
with the existing mission threads of a system or system of systems (SoS). The
resulting “augmented” mission threads can then be used by SoS and
system architects during the development and evaluation of the SoS, system, and
software architectures. This workshop is based on the SEI Quality Attribute
Workshop (QAW).
Quality Attribute Workshop (QAW)
The SEI
Quality Attribute Workshop (QAW) is used to elicit key quality attribute goals
and architecture-development plans. It can be conducted prior to the
development of a software architecture.
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Views and Beyond Approach to Architecture
Documentation
The SEI Views and Beyond approach to architecture
documentation is based on the concept of architectural views. This approach
involves selecting a set of relevant views based on the architecture and its
stakeholders, documenting those views, and then documenting information that
applies across views. The approach covers practical information such as how to
choose the set of views to document, how to document a view, how to document
the information beyond views, how to judiciously combine views in the
documentation to increase understanding and decrease the workload, and how to
document architectural constructs using popular notations and languages,
including the Unifi ed Modeling Language (UML).
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