An approach to carve sustainability into architecture knowledge practice

Context:

The daily work of software architects relies not only on technical expertise, but also on architecture knowledge (AK), which entails the architecture design itself together with the taken decisions and assumptions that provide the rationale for the chosen software solution. However, there is a pressing need to also incorporate sustainability aspects into the complete AK process, i.e., capturing decisions and the design towards software systems that are environmentally, economically, and socially balanced in the long term.

Objective:

The goal of this study is twofold. First, we aim to provide the fundamental concepts currently used in industry practices to represent and communicate AK. Second, building on this understanding and uncovered insights, we want to explore where sustainability can be applied in such daily practice and how sustainability can be addressed in the existing AK process.

Method:

We present an empirical study, using the same qualitative research methods applied in two independent industrial contexts. In total, the study encompasses a questionnaire survey with 49 participants, semi-structured interviews with 27 practitioners, and two focus groups.

Results:

Based on the insights gained from combining our findings, we (i) provide a map of applied concepts for communicating and representing AK in two large enterprises, (ii) present a set of tangible recommendations, and (iii) introduce an approach consisting of an action plan for carving sustainability into current software architecture practice and a reusable methodology applicable to other domains and companies.

Conclusion:

This paper extends our previous work by adding empirical investigations, and by refining as well as extending the results; this leads to a more comprehensive discussion of the implications for the future of software architecture practice.