Benefits and Challenges of Architecture Frameworks
Abstract
Architecture frameworks have become a popular means of coping with the complexity of today's enterprises. They support the specification of architectures by providing a method for designing and describing them. An architecture framework typically defines a common terminology, a set of views focusing on particular aspects of the architecture, a set of architecture types with varying levels of detail, and a methodology for the development and maintenance of an architecture and its views. Despite their benefits, the adoption of an architecture framework is nontrivial in practice and does not always meet the expectations of the target audience. There are several reasons for this. First, the semantics of views -- both in terms of what and how -- leaves room for interpretation that must be filled by the architect(s). Second, the definition and maintenance of an architecture involves many different stakeholders and requires a modeling process. Finally, proper tool support is an important aspect when it comes to collaboration and promoting one's findings. Section 1 introduces the concepts of architectures and architecture frameworks. In section 2, the NATO Architecture Framework is described in more detail. In section 3, we list some expectations of the target audience. In the following subsections, we take a closer look at semantic issues regarding the framework itself, organizational aspects, and tool support. The paper concludes with a short summary in section 4. The presentation includes briefinbg charts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA546906
Entities
People
- Daniel Ota
- Michael Gerz