Explicit assumptions enrich architectural models

Abstract

Design for change is a well-known adagium in software engineering. We separate concerns, employ well-designed interfaces, and the like to ease evolution of the systems we build. We model and build in changeability through parameterization and variability points (as in product lines). These all concern places where we explicitly consider variability in our systems. We conjecture that it is helpful to also think of and explicitly model invariability, things in our systems and their environment that we assume will not change. We give examples from the literature and our own experience to illustrate how evolution can be seriously hampered because of tacit assumptions made. In particular, we show how we can explicitly model assumptions in an existing product family. From this, we derive a metamodel to document assumptions. Finally, we show how this type of modeling adds to our understanding of the architecture and the decisions that led to it.