Software Architect's Handbook

Design rationale for design maintenance

During the maintenance phase of a software project, it is helpful to know the design rationale for the decisions that went into the software architecture design. When a certain piece of the software needs to be changed for maintenance, the design rationale can assist in determining what areas of the software will require modifications.

It can also be used to identify weaknesses in the software, and areas of the software that could be improved. For example, based on certain design decisions, quality attributes may be enabled or inhibited, and if changes are being considered that would alter those decisions, team members could be aware of the reasons behind those decisions.

The design rationale will also ...