Software Engineering

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CHAPTER 13 
Software Design Synthesis Practice
two or more structural units that, when integrated together, will comply with the 
functional component specification.
13.2.2 
Identify integrating components
At this juncture in the design synthesis practice the upper and lower tiers of the 
design solution have been resolved with a conceptual and fundamental arrangement 
of structural design elements. Between these two tiers emerges the 
design chasm
, 
which must be bridged to unite the conceptual design layers with the structural 
design layers. This design chasm can only be traversed by identifying integrative 
structural components that either:
●
  Progressively extend the structural design layers toward the conceptual design 
components.
●
  Progressively decompose the conceptual design components to envelop the ele-
ments of the structural design layers.
Integrating components enable the conceptual and structural design layers to 
coalesce into a comprehensive, unified structural design solution. Integrating com-
ponents should be recognizable as conceptual mechanisms of which the purpose 
is to provide an assembly packaging apparatus. The integration tier provides one 
or more layers of integrating components that align the lower-tier structural com-
ponents with upper-tier conceptual components. The following guidelines suggest 
some principles for determining how to identify integrating components:
●
  Integrating components should provide an intuitive adaptation in the transition 
from the structural to conceptual design layer.
●
  Each integrating component should represent a significant assembly and inte-
gration action and should form a perceptible element within the structural 
configuration.
●
  Integrating components should provide a judicious progression of the software 
integration and testing strategy. The result of each integration and testing endeavor 
should be a self-contained, proven structural component with verified interfaces.
●
  Minor, incremental integration actions should be avoided unless they are delib-
erately devised to mitigate risks.
Every integrating component is a higher-level structural component. The ration-
ale for distinguishing between the structural and integrating components is the level 
within the structural configuration in which they are stationed or located. Structural 
components are situated in the top level of the bottommost tier and were derived 
unambiguously from the functional architecture as large, complex functional units.