Software Architect's Handbook

Which approach should I use?

There are certain factors to consider when deciding whether the top-down or bottom-up approach is better for a software project. Software architects may find it advantageous to use a top-down approach if more than one of the following is true:

• The project is large in size
• The project is complex
• Enterprise software is being designed for an organization
• The team is large, or there are multiple teams that will be working on the project
• The domain is well-understood

It may be more appropriate to use a bottom-up approach if more than one of the following is true:

• The project is small in size
• The project is not very complex
• Enterprise software for an organization is not being designed
• The team is small, or there ...