Towards evergreen architectures: on the usage of scenarios in system architecting

The system architecture of successful systems typically enjoys a long life (ten years or more). From an architecting point of view, there are two major challenges. The first challenge is to establish the "right" initial architecture that satisfies the strategic intentions, the needs and the requirements of its stakeholders and intended users. The second challenge is to nurture the architecture and keep it architecture up to date (fit and slim) with respect to the changing requirements and technologies that will occur during its lifetime. Keeping the architecture so called "evergreen" (i.e. ongoing satisfying its stakeholders needs and requirements is a very challenging architecting). The second problem is addressed in a separate paper (America et al., 2003) where we describe a method to assess and improve the ease of accommodating new requirements by system architecture once it has been established. The first problem of how to establish the initial architecture satisfying the strategic plans and intentions of its stakeholders is addressed in this presentation.