Software Engineering

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SECTION 2  
Software Engineering Practices
Several additional chapters are included to provide detailed commentary concern-
ing the development of the three architectural perspectives. Chapters 7, 9, 10, and 
12 are for informational purposes and should not be considered definitive or conclu-
sive portrayals of the practice to which they pertain. These chapters are provided to 
assist readers in gaining an appreciation for each software engineering practice and 
its application.
Developing the software product architecture
The software engineering practices provide a set of tasks for translating stakeholder 
needs into a complete, consistent, and effective software product architecture.  
A fundamental flaw emerges when the practices are applied as sequential steps 
in the establishment of the architecture. These practices should not be interpreted 
to imply that the architecture is formulated by first establishing the requirements 
baseline, then the functional architecture, and lastly the physical architecture. This 
sequence implies a waterfall approach that inhibits proper exploration of the prob-
lem/solution space. The primary practices of software requirements analysis, func-
tional analysis and allocation, software design synthesis, and software analysis 
provide the basis for deriving an integrated architectural solution in a manner that 
is aligned with stakeholder needs and expectations, as well as project resource con-
straints, technology readiness, and staff proficiency.
There are several conceptual approaches to evolving the software product archi-
tecture that must be considered when planning the software engineering effort. This 
involves how the software engineering practices will be applied to result in the 
architecture. Most software methodologies fail to provide for the iterative nature of 
the design process. Therefore, early architectural design decisions are assumed to 
be final and are never revisited, even when they impose risks to achieving project 
objectives. Popular software development methodologies (e.g., iterative, incremen-
tal, and agile) have been embraced due to the inability of the software development 
team to grasp a complete architectural solution. Regardless of the methodology 
chosen, every software development project will derive enormous benefits from the 
proper application of software engineering and establishing a durable architectural 
foundation for a software product.