A documentation framework for architecture decisions

In this paper, we introduce a documentation framework for architecture decisions. This framework consists of four viewpoint definitions using the conventions of ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010, the new international standard for the description of system and software architectures. The four viewpoints, a Decision Detail viewpoint, a Decision Relationship viewpoint, a Decision Chronology viewpoint, and a Decision Stakeholder Involvement viewpoint satisfy several stakeholder concerns related to architecture decision management.With the exception of the Decision Stakeholder Involvement viewpoint, the framework was evaluated in an industrial case study. The results are promising, as they show that decision views can be created with reasonable effort while satisfying many of the stakeholder concerns in decision documentation.

► Current architecture decision approaches do not cover all the concerns of involved stakeholders. ► Dedicated decision viewpoints must be defined to frame stakeholder concerns in architecture decisions. ► Decision views can be created with reasonable effort.