|
Towards
Decision-centric Software Architecture: Applying
Acquisition Best
Practices to the Architecting Process
Abstract:
The
definition of Software Architecture historically has
been highly variable and poorly understood.
Emphasis within the IT community has been related to
Viewpoints, Views and Perspectives, and the metaphor of
"blueprints". However, recent
observations in industry suggest that Software
Architecture is more about mitigating the risks
surrounding "significant" or
"high-stakes" design decisions as related to
the IT investment than with the approach to communicate
and capture the knowledge within a solution. A
software architecture can be viewed as a solution
"decision-set" which is described through
visual models to aid in understanding. This
decision-set represents an investment portfolio, and as
such, the architectural reasoning process can be viewed
as analogous to Investment Portfolio Management, with
the role of Software Architect being more akin to
Investment Advisor than Draftsman. To yield an
effective and efficient architecting process within a
large financial services firm, COTS Acquisition best
practices and Real Options theory were leveraged to
complement the recommended practice related to
Architectural Description. This paper will discuss
the application of these bodies of knowledge in support
of a global Enterprise Architecture transformation
initiative.
Obtaining
a copy: This
paper has yet to be published. Please check back
Q1-2010.
|
