Software Engineering

13.3.3 
Assess architectural alternatives
Architectural alternatives identify distinctive abstract design mechanisms intended 
to perform demanding data processing transactions. It may be difficult to resolve 

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13.3 
Design correlation
convoluted design situations flawlessly without sufficient design analysis. 
Brainstorming can be used to identify potential design alternatives that lead to inno-
vative solutions. However, design decisions must be made with sufficient compre-
hension of the merits and inadequacies associated with each design paradigm or 
mechanism. The preferred architectural approach should be determined to be one 
that is balanced in terms of design effectiveness, efficiency, scalability, and sim-
plicity. Establishing the relative importance of architectural quality factors or pref-
erences is often where the design of software products is mistaken as an artistic 
practice. The term 
architecture
 embraces the unification of art and science within 
the construction engineering discipline. It is of no consequence for a software prod-
uct to exhibit a stunningly attractive user interface if the product’s performance can-
not satisfy the demands of the customer’s operational or business environment.
Trade studies should be conducted to gain an appreciation for the best architec-
tural approach to adopt among competing alternatives. Each trade study originates 
with the identification of two or more approaches to an identified technical obsta-
cle. These competing design alternatives must be defined and adequately character-
ized to support a thorough trade-off analysis (see Chapter 14).