Book excerpt: A Comprehensive Process for Defining Software Architectures That Work A good software architecture is the foundation of any successful software system. Effective architecting requires a clear understanding of organizational roles, artifacts, activities performed, and the optimal sequence for performing those activities. With The Process of Software Architecting, Peter Eeles and Peter Cripps provide guidance on these challenges by covering all aspects of architecting a software system, introducing best-practice techniques that apply in every environment, whether based on Java EE, Microsoft .NET, or other technologies. Eeles and Cripps first illuminate concepts related to software architecture, including architecture documentation and reusable assets. Next, they present an accessible, task-focused guided tour through a typical project, focusing on the architect’s role, with common issues illuminated and addressed throughout. Finally, they conclude with a set of best practices that can be applied to today’s most complex systems. You will come away from this book understanding The role of the architect in a typical software development project How to document a software architecture to satisfy the needs of different stakeholders The applicability of reusable assets in the process of architecting The role of the architect with respect to requirements definition The derivation of an architecture based on a set of requirements The relevance of architecting in creating complex systems The Process of Software Architecting will be an indispensable resource for every working and aspiring software architect—and for every project manager and other software professional who needs to understand how architecture influences their work.