Keynote Speech

The Architecture Business Cycle

by Paul Clements, SEI/CMU

Abstract. Software architecture has recently emerged as an important new topic of study in software engineering, and yet its role transcends that of software development.   The software architecture of a system affects, and is affected by, the business environment in which it is developed.   The Architecture Business Cycle is the name we give to the intricate waltz between an architecture and its surroundings. Companies that pay careful attention to architecture and treat it as a capital asset are able to position themselves favorably in the marketplace, as well as enter new markets with greater ease.   In this talk, we will describe the Architecture Business Cycle in detail, give examples of it in action, and discuss architecture evaluation as a way that an organization can adopt architecture into its standard development process.