Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Software architectures: Blueprint, Literature, Language or Decision?

2008; Palgrave Macmillan; Volume: 17; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1057/ejis.2008.48

1476-9344

Kari Smolander, Matti Rossi, Sandeep Purao,

Advanced Software Engineering Methodologies

AbstractAbstractThis study questions the traditional view of software architecture as a specification that needs only be understood by software architects and engineers. Based on an intensive study of three software-producing organizations, we identify multiple metaphors ('Blueprint,' 'Literature,' 'Language' and 'Decision') that stakeholders use to understand the term software architecture, which in turn, allows them to effectively participate in its creation and use. Our results point to new research directions that may better encompass a broader view of software architecture.Keywords: software architecturestakeholdersmetaphors AcknowledgementsWe would like to acknowledge feedback on an early version of the manuscript from Shawn Clark.Additional informationNotes on contributorsKari SmolanderAbout the authorsKari Smolander is a Professor of Software Engineering in the Department of Information Technology, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland. He has a Ph.D. (2003) in Computer Science from Lappeenranta University of Technology and a Licentiate (1993) and Master (1988) degree from University of Jyväskylä, Finland. In addition to his long teaching experience, he has worked for several years in the industry and in the 1990s he was the main architect in the development of the MetaEdit CASE tool. He has published more than 50 refereed research papers in international journals and conferences. His current research interests include the architectural aspects of systems development and the organizational view of software development.Matti RossiMatti Rossi is a Professor of Information Systems at Helsinki School of Economics. He has worked as research fellow at Erasmus University Rotterdam, visiting assistant professor at Georgia State University, Atlanta and visiting professor at Claremont Graduate University. He received his Ph.D. degree in Business Administration from the University of Jyväskylä in 1998. He has been the principal investigator in several major research projects funded by the Technological Development Center of Finland and Academy of Finland. He is the coordinating editor of Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems. His research papers have appeared in journals such as CACM, Journal of AIS, Information and Management and Information Systems, and over 30 of them have appeared in conferences such as ICIS, HICSS and CAiSE.Sandeep PuraoSandeep Purao is an Associate Professor at the College of Information Sciences and Technology and part of the Enterprise Informatics and Integration Center at Penn State University, University Park. His research focuses on the design, evolution and management of techno-organizational systems, blending research methods from social science and software engineering. Outcomes from these efforts include publications in archival journals such as Information Systems Research, papers in conference proceedings such as WITS, and the design and implementation of software artifacts such as APSARA, tied to empirical assessments. He also enjoys reflecting on the craft of teaching in this domain, and has published on pedagogical aspects of organizational informatics.