Documentation of software architecture from a knowledge management perspective-Design representation

Abstract

In this chapter we survey how architects have represented architectural knowledge and in particular architectural design. This has evolved over the last 3 decades, from very intuitive and informal, to very structured, abstract and formal, from simple diagrams and metaphors, design notations, and specific languages. As our understanding of architectural knowledge evolved, the importance of design rationale and the decision process became more and more prominent. There is however a constant through this evolution: the systematic use of metaphors. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.