Architecture-related requirements

Abstract

The engineering of architecture-related requirements has proven to be a very difficult task for requirements engineers. It is also a task that experience has shown could use significant improvements in practice. These requirements are critically important because they drive the development of the system and software architectures, which in turn largely determine if major product qualities are adequately achieved. They also form the basis against which the architectures are assessed. In this column, we describe the three major kinds of architecture-related requirements, discuss the most important characteristics they should have, describe the responsibilities of their stakeholders, and warn of the major negative consequences they can have on downstream activities when they are not properly engineered.