Software Architect's Handbook

Defining a solution to meet requirements

Software strives to meet all functional, non-functional, technical, and operational requirements. Working closely with stakeholders, such as domain experts, business analysts, product owners, and end users, allows requirements to be identified and understood. A software architecture defines a solution that will meet those requirements.

Software architecture is the foundation for software, so software systems that lack a solid architecture make it more difficult to meet all of the requirements. Poor architectures will lead to implementations that fail to meet the measurable goals of quality attributes, and they are typically difficult to maintain, deploy, and manage.