How can you document the rationale and justification of your system architecture solutions?

1 Benefits of documenting rationale and justification

Documenting the rationale and justification of your system architecture solutions can be highly beneficial, allowing you to communicate the design intent and assumptions to stakeholders, developers, testers, and maintainers. This helps you evaluate and compare alternative solutions, track and manage changes over time, validate and verify the system architecture against the requirements and specifications, as well as reuse and adapt the architecture for similar or related systems.

2 Types of documentation for rationale and justification

Different types of documentation can capture the rationale and justification of your system architecture solutions. An architecture description is a formal document that explains the components, interfaces, relationships, properties, and constraints of the system architecture. It also outlines the decisions and trade-offs made, as well as the assumptions, dependencies, and risks involved. Architecture views are a set of diagrams, models, or tables that represent the system architecture from various perspectives. They demonstrate the design choices and trade-offs for each view, as well as the mapping and consistency between views. Additionally, architecture patterns are reusable solutions to common problems in a given context. They describe the problem, solution, consequences, and rationale for using the pattern in the system architecture. Lastly, architecture decisions record the choices made during the system architecture design process. This includes the issue, options, criteria, outcome, and rationale for each decision.

3 Methods of documenting rationale and justification

Documenting the rationale and justification of your system architecture solutions can be achieved through a variety of methods. The question-answer method relies on a predefined template or customization for the specific system and context. Argumentation requires structured and logical support for the architecture, such as claims, evidence, and warrants that link it to the requirements, specifications, and goals. Annotation is another option that uses comments, notes, or labels to add the rationale and justification to existing documentation.

4 Tools for documenting rationale and justification

In order to document the rationale and justification of your system architecture solutions, you can use various tools. Text editors such as Word or Google Docs are useful for creating and formatting architecture descriptions, views, patterns, and decisions. Furthermore, diagramming tools like Visio or Lucidchart can be used to create and format architecture views. Additionally, architecture management tools like ArchiMate or Rational Software Architect enable you to manage and document your system architecture. All of the mentioned tools can be used with the question-answer, argumentation, or annotation methods to add the rationale and justification of your system architecture.

5 Best practices for documenting rationale and justification

Documenting the rationale and justification of your system architecture solutions is an ongoing process. To ensure success, you should document the rationale and justification as early and often as possible, at the appropriate level of detail and abstraction, in a clear, concise, and consistent way. Additionally, it should be traceable and verifiable, as well as collaborative and transparent. This will help to avoid losing or forgetting important information and insights, as well as ambiguity or inconsistency in the documentation. Furthermore, it will enable the linking and checking of the documentation with the requirements, specifications, and goals. Lastly, it will involve and inform stakeholders, developers, testers, and maintainers of the system.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?