Patent ID: 7716254

Claim:
A computer implemented method for generating an architecture for a business system, comprising: modeling a plurality of viewpoints adapted for describing the architecture of the business system as a collection of a plurality of diagrams, wherein at least one of the plurality of viewpoints is a software organization viewpoint adapted for providing a design framework for the architecture that describes how the business system is to be implemented by software developers; wherein the software organization viewpoint comprises (a)-(b): (a) at least one package diagram that comprises a decomposition of components of the business system into package units arranged in a layered stack, the package units representing specifically functional software; and (b) at least one load-build configuration diagram that provides inputs for designing a load-build structure, wherein the at least one load-build configuration diagram links deployable units of the business system with the package units that comprise the deployable units; storing a first plurality of notations for describing the plurality of diagrams; storing a second plurality of notations for capturing design rationale indicative of the first plurality of notations; establishing requirement-to-design traceability associating design rationale with at least one of the plurality of diagrams; storing a third plurality of notations for quality of service attributes capturing quality of service requirements, wherein at least one of the quality of service attributes is associated with at least one of the first plurality of notations describing the plurality of diagrams; establishing requirement-to-design traceability mapping a quality of service attribute to one or more of the plurality of diagrams; and generating the architecture of the business system using at least the plurality of diagrams while maintaining requirement-to-design traceability for one or more of the plurality of viewpoints in the architecture of the business system.