icon-carat-right menu search cmu-wordmark

The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method

Technical Report
This paper presents the Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM), a structured technique for understanding the tradeoffs inherent in the architectures of software-intensive systems.
Publisher

Software Engineering Institute

CMU/SEI Report Number
CMU/SEI-98-TR-008

Abstract

This paper presents the Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM), a structured technique for understanding the tradeoffs inherent in the architectures of software-intensive systems. This method was developed to provide a principled way to evaluate a software architecture's fitness with respect to multiple competing quality attributes: modifiability, security, performance, availability, and so forth. These attributes interact, and improving one often comes at the price of worsening one or more of the others. The method helps us reason about architectural decisions that affect quality attribute interactions. The ATAM is a spiral model of design, one of postulating candidate architectures followed by analysis and risk mitigation that lead to refined architectures.

Cite This Technical Report

Kazman, R., Klein, M., Barbacci, M., Longstaff, T., Lipson, H., & Carriere, S. (1998, July 1). The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method. (Technical Report CMU/SEI-98-TR-008). Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/the-architecture-tradeoff-analysis-method/.

@techreport{kazman_1998,
author={Kazman, Rick and Klein, Mark and Barbacci, Mario and Longstaff, Thomas and Lipson, Howard and Carriere, S.},
title={The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method},
month={{Jul},
year={{1998},
number={{CMU/SEI-98-TR-008},
howpublished={Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute's Digital Library},
url={https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/the-architecture-tradeoff-analysis-method/},
note={Accessed: 2024-Nov-9}
}

Kazman, Rick, Mark Klein, Mario Barbacci, Thomas Longstaff, Howard Lipson, and S. Carriere. "The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method." (CMU/SEI-98-TR-008). Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute's Digital Library. Software Engineering Institute, July 1, 1998. https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/the-architecture-tradeoff-analysis-method/.

R. Kazman, M. Klein, M. Barbacci, T. Longstaff, H. Lipson, and S. Carriere, "The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method," Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute's Digital Library. Software Engineering Institute, Technical Report CMU/SEI-98-TR-008, 1-Jul-1998 [Online]. Available: https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/the-architecture-tradeoff-analysis-method/. [Accessed: 9-Nov-2024].

Kazman, Rick, Mark Klein, Mario Barbacci, Thomas Longstaff, Howard Lipson, and S. Carriere. "The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method." (Technical Report CMU/SEI-98-TR-008). Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute's Digital Library, Software Engineering Institute, 1 Jul. 1998. https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/the-architecture-tradeoff-analysis-method/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.

Kazman, Rick; Klein, Mark; Barbacci, Mario; Longstaff, Thomas; Lipson, Howard; & Carriere, S.. The Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method. CMU/SEI-98-TR-008. Software Engineering Institute. 1998. https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/the-architecture-tradeoff-analysis-method/