The SKA Software Architecture Workshop will include the following:
- Identification of 3-5 end-to-end Mission Threads (described below) that provide the context to identify significant system quality attributes and architecture mismatches.
- Identification of key quality attributes for system integration, expressed as a utility tree (described below).
- An architecture document template (tailored version of SEI Views and Beyond template or ISO 42010-based template) that captures sufficient information about the architecture of each system to assess quality attribute performance and to assess architecture mismatch, and will support downstream development.
A mission thread is a sequence of end-to-end activities and events, given as a series of steps that accomplish the execution of one or more SKA capabilities. Mission threads can describe steady-state operation (e.g., data acquisition, processing, storage, and dissemination), software and hardware updates and migrations, initial system deployment, system management or maintenance, or any other overall SKA capability that uses the integrated capabilities of constituent systems. Analysis of the flow of data and control between the constituent systems at each step in the mission thread will uncover functional and architectural mismatches, identify key integration quality attributes, and clarify assumptions embodied in the architectures of the constituent systems.
A utility tree is a structured decomposition of the quality attributes that contribute to a system’s “fitness for use”. Quality attribute requirements are expressed as scenarios that describe how the system responds to a specific, concrete stimulus.
The Software Architecture Workshop attendees will be 1 or 2 software architects or software lead developers from each of the SKA Telescope constituent systems. The workshop will have a multiday agenda, led by two SEI architecture consultants.
To prepare for the workshop, you can read one of the SEI books on Software Architecture (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Software-Architecture-Practice-Series-Engineering-ebook/dp/B009GMUL84) or read some of the freely available SEI documents on the web, for example:
