To describe the essential part of the design of the system so the integrity and understandability of the system is assured.

• Architect

• Architect

• Design the Solution
• Develop the Architecture

• Analyze the Architectural Requirements
• Plan Iteration

• Analyze the Architectural Requirements
• Develop the Architecture

This artifact is a communication vehicle that tells Developers what pieces to build, as well as how those pieces behave and interact with each other. It determines the project structure so that managers can plan the project. It also gives whoever must maintain and change the architecture later their first glimpse of the system; and an understanding of the motivation behind the important technical decisions.

This artifact focuses on specific aspects of the design, concentrating on structure, essential elements, key scenarios and those aspects that have a lasting impact on system qualities such as performance, reliability, adaptability and cost. It defines the set of mechanisms, patterns and styles that will guide the rest of the design, assuring its integrity.

Architectural elements make excellent units of implementation, unit testing, integration, configuration management and documentation. The organisation of the architecture can also help the Project Manager decide on the organisation of the team.

• Architecture

The he architecture can be represented in many forms and from many viewpoints, depending on the needs of the project and the preferences of the project team. The architecture can be expressed as a simple metaphor or as a comparison to a predefined architectural style or set of styles. It may be a precise set of models or documents that describe the various aspects of the system's key elements. Expressing it as skeletal build is another option - although this build may need to be baselined and preserved to ensure that the essence of the system can be understood as the system grows.

It is frequently a design artifact that must be represented in a readable and accessible way. It can reference models that describe Architectural Views for communicating the architecture. A view is a representation of a system from the perspective of a related set of concerns. To choose the appropriate set of views, identify the Stakeholders who depend on software architecture documentation and the information that they need.

It need not be a formal document. The essence of the architecture can often be communicated through a series of simple diagrams on a whiteboard; or as a list of decisions. Choose the medium that best meets the needs of the project.

• Architecture

• Pattern
• Component
• Software Architecture
• Visual Modeling

• Architectural View
• Layering
• Representing Interfaces to External Systems
• Abstract Away Complexity