Glossary

Architecture Improvement Method.

Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method, described in detail by Clements et al. (Evaluating Software Architectures, 2001) and online by the SEI; briefly described as the aim42 pattern ATAM.

Loss of functionality under defined (stated) conditions.

A problem, risk, symptom or piece of technical debt found in the system or its associated processes. Issues are collected during analyze, valued during evaluate and addressed by remedies during improve.

A measure (practice, approach, change) that solves or mitigates one or more issues.

Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. A federally funded research and development institute, sponsored by the US Department of Defense.

The system to be improved — often a single software system, but it might be a complex combination of hardware, software and organizational aspects. Systems in our sense consist of:

• software, usually with corresponding data structures and data
• required infrastructure software, like operating system, database, UI frameworks, middleware etc.
• required hardware infrastructure, like processors, storage, network, routers etc.
• associated development processes, like requirements engineering, architecture, implementation, version and configuration management, build and deployment
• associated administration and operation processes or procedures
• associated organizational processes, like budgeting, HR, controlling, management etc.
• associated external systems, like data or event providers or consumers

and maybe even more.

(of an improvement or remedy) Approximately −1 times the cost of the associated issue(s). If an improvement solves only part of an issue, value estimation becomes much harder.