Chapter 14
Activities to Understand the Problem

In the understand mindset we actively seek information from stakeholders and work to define (or redefine) the problem. Understanding is more than just specifying requirements. We also need to figure out who our stakeholders are, identify business goals for the system, and ensure requirements specified with an eye toward the architecture.

As you’ll recall from Chapter 5, ​Dig for Architecturally Significant Requirements​, there are four kinds of architecturally significant requirements. All of these requirements will influence the architecture, but quality attributes are the most influential and a key concern for architects.

Constraints

Unchangeable design decisions, usually given but sometimes chosen

Quality Attributes

Externally visible properties that characterize how the system operates in a specific context

Influential Functional Requirements

Features and functions that require special attention in the architecture

Other Influencers

Time, knowledge, experience, skills, office politics, your own geeky biases, and all the other stuff that sways your decision making

The activities in this chapter help teams empathize with stakeholders and dig for architecturally significant requirements. Use them when you need to get a better grasp on the real problem.