Part One: Introduction

What is a software architecture? What is it good for? How does it come to be? What effect does its existence have? These are the questions we answer in Part I.

Chapter 1 deals with a technical perspective on software architecture. We define it and relate it to system and enterprise architectures. We discuss how the architecture can be represented in different views to emphasize different perspectives on the architecture. We define patterns and discuss what makes a “good” architecture.

In Chapter 2, we discuss the uses of an architecture. You may be surprised that we can find so many—ranging from a vehicle for communication among stakeholders to a blueprint for implementation, to the carrier of the system’s quality attributes. We also discuss how the architecture provides a reasoned basis for schedules and how it provides the foundation for training new members on a team.

Finally, in Chapter 3, we discuss the various contexts in which a software architecture exists. It exists in a technical context, in a project life-cycle context, in a business context, and in a professional context. Each of these contexts defines a role for the software architecture to play, or an influence on it. These impacts and influences define the Architecture Influence Cycle.