To facilitate PPOOA
applicability, we propose an architecting process, also named PPOOA_AP (PPOOA
Architecting Process). PPOOA_AP is focused on the development of the software
architecture for a system conforming the principles inherent to PPOOA
architectural style and using the vocabulary of components and coordination
mechanisms proposed by PPOOA. The scope of PPOOA_AP is the architectural or
preliminary software development phase of the software life cycle.
PPOOA_AP should be included
as a part of the general software development process. As a part of this
general process, it takes some inputs from the analysis phase and produces some
outputs to the detailed design phase.
The main purpose of an
architecting process is to produce a rigorous description of the solution that
allows quality attributes evaluation by assessment techniques, particularly
Rate Monotonic Analysis (RMA).
PPOOA_AP is essentially an
iterative process that is split into major steps and minor steps. Architecting
process major steps are those that follow the identification of the major
components of the system, their interfaces and the main flows of activities
that the system will implement. These major steps
represented in the figure below, are namely:
1. Identify Components
2. Define Component Interfaces
3. Describe System responses. Responses are described by CFAs (Causal Flow of Activities)
4. Select Coordination Mechanisms
Minor steps are
represented sequentially for each of the major
steps in the figures next to the figure below.