Process-Oriented Metrics for Software Architecture Adaptability

Proposes the POMSAA (Process-Oriented Metrics for Software Architecture Adaptability) framework, which aims to provide numeric scores representing the adaptability of a software architecture, as well as the intuitions behind these scores. In this framework, the intuitions behind the architectural adaptability scores are traced back to the "whys" of the architecture, namely the requirements for which the architecture exists in the first place. POMSAA achieves the needed tracing by adopting the NFR (Non-Functional Requirements) framework, which is a process-oriented qualitative framework for representing and reasoning about non-functional requirements. We show how to use POMSAA to: (1) calculate and re-calculate the metrics; (2) detect weaknesses and strategic strengths; (3) understand the reasons for those weaknesses and strengths; and (4) make the needed changes to the architecture to increase its adaptability.