Argo: A Design Environment for Evolving Software Architectures

Software architectures evolve as the result of numerous, interrelated design decisions. At any point in an architecture’s evolution, current decisions can critically affect alternatives at later stages, and each decision has the potential of requiring previous decisions to be reconsidered. Analysis techniques that provide feedback only after “complete” sequences of design decisions have been made do not directly support the evolutionary nature of the architecture design process. We present a system for architectural analysis that more closely supports evolution by providing feedback as design decisions are made. Keywords Domain-oriented design environments, software architecture, human cognitive needs, software evolution

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1997
• Where: ICSE
• Authors: Jason E. Robbins, David M. Hilbert, David F. Redmiles
• Keywords: Design Decisions, ICSE 1997, Interrelated Design Decisions, Software Architecture, Software Engineering