There are numerous of people who underestimate the importance of Software Architecture and many just don’t have knowledge about what it is and what are the benefits of software architecture?

Although Software Architecture seems to be very tech and a lot of people think that it’s not for them, it’s a mistake! When you are planning to build a house, you want to hire a good architect to be sure that you will get a house with a solid foundation. It’s the same with software architecture, it’s the root of the software. It builds a firm foundation for the software project to ensure that your project will be scalable and effective. In this article I am trying to explain what is software architecture, and what are the main benefits of software architecture. 

What is Software Architecture?

The architecture of a software is like a prototype or blueprint for both the system and the project. It defines the work assignments that must be carried out by design and implementation teams. The architecture is the main carrier of system qualities like scalability, performance, modifiability, security and cost reduction, none of which can be achieved without a unifying architectural vision. Software architecture is a model for pre-analysis to make sure that a design approach will yield an acceptable system. You can identify design risks and mitigate them early in the development process, by building effective architecture. Software architecture dictates technical standards, including software coding standards, tools, and platforms. It gives the right technical solutions to ensure your success. 

15 Benefits of Software Architecture

By now you must have understood that a good software architecture is extremely important for a software project. Below are the 15 advantages of software architecture that will tell you more about how it can help you in your projects and why you should take interest in a good software architecture. 

1. It builds a firm base for the software project 

2. Makes your platform scalable 

3. Increases performance of the platform 

4. Reduces costs, avoids codes duplicity 

5. Implementing a vision. Looking at the architecture is an effective way to view the overall state of IT and to develop a vision of where the organization needs to or wants to go with it’s IT structure. A software architect sees the big picture. It’s important that somebody owns the big picture and sells the vision throughout the entirety of the software development lifecycle, evolving it throughout the project if necessary and taking responsibility for ensuring that it’s delivered successfully, in order to carry the architecture through to a successful conclusion. 

6. Identifies areas for potential cost savings. An architecture helps an organization to analyze its current IT and identify areas where changes could lead to cost savings. For example, the architecture may show that multiple database systems could be changed so only one product is used, reducing software and support costs. Provides a basis for reuse. The process of architecting can support both the use and creation of reusable assets. As the assets that are reusable can reduce the overall cost of a system, and are beneficial to an organization, that also improve its quality.

7. Better code maintainability. It is easier to maintain existing software, as the structure of the code is visible and known, so it’s easier to find bugs and anomalies. 

8. Enables quicker changes in IT Systems. There is enhanced need for systems to change quickly to meet rapidly evolving business needs, legislative requirements, etc. 

9. Increases quality of the platform. 

10. Helps manage complexity. 

11. Makes the platform faster. 

12. Higher adaptability. New technical features, such a different front ends, or adding a business rule engine are easier to achieve, as your software architecture creates a clear separation of concerns. 

13. It helps in risk management. Helps to reduce risks and chance of failure 

14. Reduces its time to market, reduces development time 

15. Prioritize conflicting Goals. It facilitates communication with stakeholders, contributing to a system that better fulfils their needs. Being in conversation about complex systems from the point of view of stakeholders helps them understand the consequences of their stated requirements and the design decisions based on them. Architecture gives the ability to communicate about design decisions before the system is implemented when they are still relatively easy to adapt. 

What a Software Architect Takes into Consideration

The end-user is particularly interested in intuitive and correct behavior, performance, reliability, usability, availability, and security.

The system administrator is concerned with intuitive behavior, administration, and tools to aid monitoring.

The marketer is concerned with competitive features, time to market, positioning with other products, and cost.

The customer is concerned with cost, stability, and schedule.

The developer is interested in clear requirements, and a simple and consistent design approach.

The project manager is concerned with predictability in the tracking of the project, schedule, productive use of resources, and budget.

The maintainer is interested in a comprehensible, consistent, and documented design approach, and the ease with which modifications can be made.

To sum up, a software architect creates a working ecosystem maintaining a global vision throughout all the phases of the project to positively influence time to market. A software architect finds the bottleneck and proposes incremental upgrades in order to achieve a scalable and stable project. He drives architectural integrity, creates short-term and strategic guidelines, helps you manage complexity, reduces maintenance costs and provides basis for reuse.

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