A Multiple Case Study of Continuous Architecting in Large Agile Companies: Current Gaps and the CAFFEA Framework

In order to continuously support the value delivery both in short-term and long-term, a key goal for large software companies is to continuously develop and manage software architecture. In order to understand how architecture management is employed in large Agile software companies, we have conducted interviews involving several roles at 5 firms. Through a combination of structured inductive and deductive analysis proper of Grounded Theory, we have identified current architect roles and gaps in the architecture practices in the studied organizations. From such investigation, we have developed an organizational framework, CAFFEA, for Agile architecting, including roles, (virtual) teams and practices. The framework has been evaluated through a cross-company workshop including participants from 5 large software companies, discussion groups and a final survey. Finally, we have evaluated the framework in practice after one year of its application at one of the companies. We found that some necessary architectural practices are overlooked in Large Agile Software Development. The evaluation of CAFFEA framework showed that the included roles and teams are needed in order to mitigate the gaps in the architectural practices. The responsibilities and the activities have been mapped to key architect roles compatible with the Scrum setting employed at the companies. The evaluation of CAFFEA shows key benefits.