transforming trace information in architectural documents into re-usable and effective traceability links
Architectural analysis processes, such as the Architecture Trade-off and Analysis Method (ATAM), utilize a scenario based approach to evaluate the extent to which an architectural solution meets a potentially competing set of quality goals. The resulting architectural documents contain a rich set of trace relationships between quality goals, decisions, and architectural elements. Unfortunately this information is not readily accessible for supporting tasks other than initial architectural assessments. In this paper we describe a technique and supporting tools for extracting and generating traceability links from the architectural documents. A specialized Traceability Information Model is used to guide the user through the task of establishing traceability links from design decisions to the architectural elements in which the decision is realized. The retrieved and generated traceability links can then be used to support a far broader set of activities including visualization of design rationale and architectural preservation. We evaluate our approach using a case study of the NASA Crew Exploration Vehicle.
traceability design rationale architectural preservation