Reducing Architectural Knowledge Vaporization by Applying the Repertory Grid Technique

D. Tofan, M. Galster, P. Avgeriou

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionAcademicpeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The architecture of a software-intensive system is the composition of architectural design decisions. These decisions are an important part of Architectural Knowledge (AK). Failure to document architectural design decisions can lead to AK vaporization and higher maintenance costs. To reduce AK vaporization, we propose to apply the Repertory Grid Technique (ROT) to make tacit knowledge about architecture decisions explicit. An architect can use the ROT to elicit decision alternatives and concerns, and to rank each alternative against concerns. To validate our approach, we conducted a survey with graduate students. In the survey, participants documented decisions using the RGT. We compared these decisions with decisions documented using a basic decision template. Our results suggest that RGT leads to less AK vaporization, compared to conventional ways of documenting decisions.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE
Subtitle of host publication5th European Conference, ECSA 2011, Essen, Germany, September 13-16, 2011. Proceedings
Editors Crnkovic, Gruhn, M Book
Place of PublicationBERLIN
PublisherSpringer
Pages244-251
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9783642237980
ISBN (Print)978-3-642-23797-3
Publication statusPublished - 2011
Event5th European Conference on Software Architecture (ECSA 2011) - , Germany
Duration: 13-Sept-201116-Sept-2011

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science
PublisherSPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN
Volume6903
ISSN (Print)0302-9743

Other

Other5th European Conference on Software Architecture (ECSA 2011)
Country/TerritoryGermany
Period13/09/201116/09/2011

Keywords

  • architectural knowledge
  • repertory grid
  • AK vaporization
  • survey
  • SOFTWARE

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Reducing Architectural Knowledge Vaporization by Applying the Repertory Grid Technique'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this