Guideline: Demonstrate the Architecture |
Guidelines supporting the Demonstrate the Architecture Task.
Relationships
Related Elements | Demonstrate the Architecture
Main Description
#### Define objectives List the questions and unknown quantities about the architecture that must be understood to be reasonably confident of the architectural approach. These issues guide the construction of the proof-of-concept. The success of the proof-of-concept is measured by its ability to illuminate these issues. The objectives describe what parts of the architecture are at risk and need to be understood before investing significant effort in the project. For example, if new COTS software will be part of the architecture it may be useful to understand how the system under development will integrate with the COTS software; and understand what issues other organizations have had with integrating the third-party software. #### Decide on construction approach Select a format that Illustrates the architectural philosophy of the system. Addresses the defined solution objectives. Identifies elements that are key to the delivery of architecturally significant requirements, such as performance or security. The proof-of-concept can take many forms depending on the novelty of the architecture and the difficulty of the requirements. See Architectural Proof of Concept for guidance on selecting an aproach and validating the proof-of-concept. #### Construct the proof-of-concept This effort could take less than a day or up to a few days, depending on the construction approach selected. However, a rare worst-case scenario could require constructing and validating up to 80% of the actual architecture before achieving enough confidence that it will support the requirements. #### Verify the proof-of-concept Return to the objectives defined for the proof-of-concept. Verify that the objectives can be met by assuring the questions and risks in the architecture can be answered or mitigated by examining the proof-of-concept. Enhance the proof-of-concept if unanswered questions or unmitigated risks remain. This may require a different construction approach for the proof-of-concept. #### Examine the proof-of-concept The form of the examination depends on the construction approach. If a prototype is used for the proof-of-concept, it must be executed and evaluated. If a model is used (UML for example), it must be reviewed and evaluated by the appropriate technical people. Use the list of objectives to guide how to assess the proof-of-concept. The proof-of-concept must be measured against each objective created in previous steps. It's possible the proof-of-concept will indicate that a different architectural approach is required. In other words, the proof-of-concept was successful in that it answered important questions about the architectural approach, and those answers indicate the approach will not work. In this case a different architectural approach will be needed, which may require a new proof-of-concept.
More Information
Guidelines | Architectural Proof of Concept
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