Microsoft's technique for architecture and design
Another example of a systematic approach for designing software architectures is Microsoft's technique for architecture and design. Like ADD, it is an iterative, step-by-step method. This process can be used to design the initial architecture as well as to refine it later, if necessary. There are five steps in the process:
Step 1 – Identifying architecture objectives
The design process begins by identifying the objectives you want to achieve for the architecture. The purpose of this step is to ensure that the design process has clear objectives so that the solution focuses on the appropriate problems. Once design iterations start, we want to ensure that we are clear on the overall design problems that we are solving.
The various architectural drivers, such as design objectives, primary functional requirements, quality attribute scenarios, constraints, and architectural concerns all combine to form the architecture objectives. The software architect...
