Software Architect's Handbook

Step 2 – Establishing the iteration goal and selecting inputs to be considered in the iteration

Once inputs are reviewed, one or more design iterations will take place, with each iteration beginning with Step 2. If you are using an agile methodology, multiple iterations will take place until the architecture is complete and the design purpose has been accomplished. An agile methodology is preferred, and is more common, as attempting to provide solutions for all of the architectural drivers at once can be too difficult.

At the start of each iteration, we want to establish the design goal for that iteration. We should be able to answer the question, What design issue are we trying to solve in the iteration? Each goal will be associated with ...