Software Architecture And Testing

CT059-3-2

The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis

Method (ATAM) - A method for
architecture evaluation
 Topic & Structure of the lesson

• Why use Architecture Tradeoff Analysis?

• The phases of the ATAM
• Implications of the ATAM

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 2 Out of 28
 Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this lecture, YOU should be

able to :
o Why ATAM is suitable for architecture
evaluation?
o Explain the phases of ATAM
o What is the implications of ATAM?

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 3 Out of 28
 Key Terms you must be able to use

• If you have mastered this topic, you should

be able to use the following terms correctly
in your assignments and exams:
– ATAM
– Utility tree
– Use Case Scenario
– Sensitivity Point
– Tradeoff

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 4 Out of 28
 What is ATAM?

• Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Methods

• Reveals how well an architecture satisfies
particular quality goal
• Provides insight into how those quality
goals interact each other
• Is a structured method for evaluation

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 5 Out of 28
 Why use ATAM?

• For ensuring the right questions is asked

as early as possible – requirement and
design stage
• It guide the stakeholders to look for conflict
• Find a resolution for those conflicts
• Use for analyse legacy systems – Reverse
Engineering.

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 6 Out of 28
 ATAM Qualification

• Result depends on the quality of the

architecture
• Specification of the architecture
– garbage in, garbage out
• Not an attempt to predict quality attributes
• Quality properties that are not easily
expressed
• Quantitatively, such as usability,
interoperability
CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 7 Out of 28
 ATAM Side-effect

• Improve the architecture documentation.

– Elicit/make precise a statement of the
architecture’s driving quality attribute
requirements
• Process benefit:
– Foster stakeholder communication &
consensus

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 8 Out of 28
 ATAM Preconditions

The ATAM relies critically on:

• Appropriate preparation by the customer
• Clearly-articulated quality attribute
requirements
• Active stakeholder participation
• Active participation by the architect
• Evaluator familiarity with architectural
• Styles and analytic models
CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 9 Out of 28
 ATAM STEPS

1. Explain the ATAM

2. Present business drivers Presentation

3. Present architecture
4. Identify architectural approaches
Investigation
5. Generate quality attribute utility tree &
Analysis
6. Analyze architectural approaches
7. Brainstorm and prioritize scenarios
Testing
8. Analyze architectural approaches
9. Present results Reporting

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 10 Out of 28
 1. Explain the ATAM

Evaluation Team presents an overview of ATAM

• ATAM steps in brief
• Techniques
– Utility tree generation
– Architecture elicitation and analysis
– Scenario brainstorming
• Outputs
– Architectural approaches
– Utility tree
– Scenarios
– Risks and “non-risks”
– Sensitivity points and tradeoffs
CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 11 Out of 28
 2. Present business drivers

• ATAM customer representative describes the system’s

business drivers including:
– Business context for the system
• Time to market
• Most important functional requirements
• Most important quality attribute requirements
– Architectural drivers:
• Quality attributes that “shape” the architecture
– Critical requirements:
• Quality attributes most central to the system’s success
– High availability, high security,

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 12 Out of 28
 3. Present architecture

• Architect presents an architecture overview

include:
– Technical context of the system
• systems with which the system must interact
• Technical constraints such as an OS, hardware, or
middleware prescribed for use
– Architectural approaches/styles used to
address quality attribute requirements
– Evaluation team begins probing for and
capturing risks
CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 13 Out of 28
 4. Identify architectural
approaches
• Start to identify parts of the architecture that
are key for realizing quality attribute goals
• Identify any predominant architectural styles,
tactics, guidelines & principles
– Examples:
• 3-tier Client-server
• Watchdog, Redundant hardware

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 14 Out of 28
 5. Generate quality attribute utility
tree
• Identify, prioritize, and refine the most important
quality attribute goals by building a utility tree
– A utility tree is a top-down vehicle for characterizing the “driving”
attribute-specific requirements
– Select the most important quality goals to be the high-level
nodes (e.g. performance, modifiability, security, availability)
– Scenarios are the leaves of the utility tree
• Output: A characterization and a prioritization of
specific quality attribute requirements

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 15 Out of 28
 SAMPLE UTILITY TREE

H – High, M – Medium, L – Low

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 16 Out of 28
 Scenario

• Scenarios are used to:

– Represent stakeholders’ interests
– Understand quality attribute requirements
• Scenarios should cover a range of:
– Use case scenarios
• anticipated uses
– Evolution scenarios
• anticipated changes; e.g. growth
– Exploratory scenarios
• unanticipated stresses to the system

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 17 Out of 28
 SAMPLE SCENARIO

• Use case scenario

A remote user requests a database report via the Web during peak
period and receives it within 5 seconds
• Evolution scenario
Add a new data server during peak hours within a downtime of at
most 8 hours.
• Exploratory scenario
Half of the servers go down during normal operation without
affecting overall system availability

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 18 Out of 28
 STIMULI-ENVIRONMENT-
RESPONSES
• ‘Formula’ for scenario’s
– Use case scenario
• Remote user requests a database report via the Web during
peak period and receives it within 5 seconds
– Growth scenario
• Add a new data server during peak hours within a downtime
of at most 8 hours.
– Exploratory scenario
• Half of the servers go down during normal operation without
affecting overall system availability
• A good scenario makes clear what the stimulus is andwhat the
measurable response of interest is

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 19 Out of 28
 6. ANALYZE ARCHITECTURAL
APPROACHES
• The evaluation Team probes architectural approaches
with related to specific quality attributes to identify risks
– Identify the approaches that pertain to the highest
priority quality attribute requirements
– Generate quality-attribute specific questions for
highest priority quality attribute requirement
– Ask quality-attribute specific questions
– Identify and record risks and non-risks, sensitivity
points and tradeoffs

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 20 Out of 28
 7. BRAINSTORM AND
PRIORITIZE SCENARIOS
• Stakeholders generate scenarios using a facilitated
brainstorming process
– Examples are used to facilitate the step
– The new scenarios are added to the leaves of the utility tree
• Essentially a process step:
– include a larger group of stakeholders
– extend consensus (esp. on priorities)
– extend confidence in completeness of scenario’s

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 21 Out of 28
 8. ANALYZE ARCHITECTURAL
APPROACHES
• Identify the architectural approaches impacted by the
scenarios generated in the previous step
• This step continues the analysis started in step 6 using
the new scenarios
• Continue identifying risks and non-risks
• Continue annotating architectural information
• Essentially a process step:
– include a larger group of stakeholders
– extend consensus
– extend confidence in completeness of scenario’s

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 22 Out of 28
 9. PRESENT RESULTS

• Recapitulate steps of the ATAM

• Present ATAM outputs
– Architectural approaches
– Utility tree
– Scenarios
– Risks and “non-risks”
– Sensitivity points and tradeoffs

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 23 Out of 28
 Implications of the ATAM

• ATAM ‘buys’ time to think about an architecture while

development processes are often under time-pressure
• Identification of risks early in the life-cycle
• Focuses on features that are essential for the
stakeholders and not on technical details
• Improved architecture documentation
• Forces stakeholders to:
– think about qualitative requirements
– prioritize qualitative requirements
• Documented basis for architectural decisions
The results are improved architectures
CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 24 Out of 28
 Reference
Clements, Kazman & Klein – Evaluating Software Architectures –– Addison-Wesley.

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 25 Out of 28
 Summary of Main Teaching Points

• Why use Architecture Tradeoff Analysis?

• The phases of the ATAM
• Implications of the ATAM

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 26 Out of 28
 Question and Answer Session

Q&A

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 27 Out of 28
 Next Session

• Quality attributes characterizations

• Using Quality attributes
characterizations in the ATAM
• Attributes-based architectural styles

CT059-3-2 Software Architecture And Testing The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) Slide 28 Out of 28