Validating and improving an existing software architectural evaluation process

Abstract

It is inevitable that most software systems will undergo continuous changes, increasing the risk of architectural degeneration. Several software architectural evaluation processes attempt to address architectural issues from various perspectives and assist to mitigate the risk of architectural degeneration. This paper describes enhancements made to an existing software architecture evaluation process and presents the results of a case study conducted using the improved process. The results suggest that the enhanced software architecture evaluation process is more broadly applicable than the previous version. It is believed that this process would be effective with systems utilizing various architectural styles and design patterns.