SQME: a framework for modeling and evaluation of software architecture quality attributes

Abstract

Designing a software architecture that satisfies all quality requirements is a difficult task. To determine whether the requirements are achieved, it is necessary to quantitatively evaluate quality attributes on the architecture model. A good evaluation process should have proper answers for these questions: (1) how to feedback the evaluation results to the architecture model (i.e., improve the architecture based on the evaluation results), (2) how to analyze uncertainties in calculations, and (3) how to handle conflicts that may exist between the quality preferences of stakeholders. In this paper, we introduce SQME as a framework for automatic evaluation of software architecture models. The framework uses evolutionary algorithms for architecture improvement, evidence theory for uncertainty handling, and EV/TOPSIS for making trade-off decisions. To validate the applicability of the framework, a case study is performed, and a software tool is developed to support the evaluation process.