Quantifying the Costs and Benefits of Architectural Decisions
Description
An extension of the Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) that models costs and benefits to optimize architectural decisions.
Background
A defect containment matrix is a way of displaying information about the issues and problem reports found for a system. It requires that, for each problem, the phase where it entered the system and the phase where it was removed are recorded. This information can be aggregated to show whether quality assurance techniques are effective at removing problems close to the source.
Quantifying the Costs and bebefits of Architectural Decisions
Primary Benefit - Reduced Cost
Net Impact Cost - Reduced Cost
Net Impact Quality - Don't Know
Net Impact Schedule - Don't Know
Cost Comments
Helps to make decisions based on C/B ratio, allowing better budgeting
Enablers
Trained facilitator - Method Expert
Barriers
Complex analysis required, Enormous solution space, sensitivity to uncertainty in cost, benefit values. Immediate issues seem to take precedence over strategic business goals.
Ease of Implementation
This is a complex analysis and needs skilled facilitator with access to designers and stakeholders (similar to ATAM).
Additional Comments
Source: Kazman, Asundi, and Klein, "Quantifying Costs and Benefits of Architectual Decisions," Proceedings from the 23rd International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE 2001). IEEE Computer Society Publication. This technique supports ATAM by providing better decisionmaking information and narrowing the solution space.
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