Process of Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method

Architecture Tradeoff Analysis

This Method is a method used to evaluate the quality attributes (such as performance, availability, and security) of software architectures. ATAM is used to mitigate risks in software architectures in the early stages of the software development life cycle (SDLC)....

Participants in ATAM

The ATAM requires the participation of three groups as follows....

Process of Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method

The ATAM process starts with bringing all the stakeholders to find business drivers like system goals, constraints, system functionality, and desired non-functional properties. Then from these drivers quality attributes and business scenarios are created. Then, in conjunction with architectural approaches and architectural designs, these scenarios are used to create an analysis of trade-offs, sensitivity points, and risks (or non-risks). This analysis is then converted to the risk themes and their impacts from where the process can be repeated. With every analysis cycle, the process gradually proceeds from the more general to the more specific. The whole architecture will be fine-tuned and risk themes will be addressed by examining the questions that were discovered in the previous cycle....

Steps of ATAM Process

There are nine steps in the ATAM process as follows:...

Phases of ATAM

The ATAM consists of four phases as follows:...

Outputs of ATAM

A concise presentation of the architecture. The architecture is presented in one hour. Articulation of business goals. This helps the new participants understand the business goals. Prioritized quality attribute requirements expressed as quality attribute scenarios. A set of risks and non-risks as follows: A risk is defined as an architectural decision that may lead to undesirable consequences in light of quality attribute requirements. non-risk is an architectural decision that is not expected to result in undesirable consequences of quality attributes. A set of risk themes. This set helps the evaluation team to examine all the discovered risk themes that identify systematic weaknesses in the architecture, process, and team. Mapping of architectural decisions to quality requirements. For each quality attribute scenario examined during an ATAM, those architectural decisions that help to achieve it are determined and captured....