Rhino Research

Our perspective on software architecture

While there is vigorous debate about which process to follow — including Agile and high-ceremony processes — there is a general consensus about the core concepts of software architecture and how to model them.

Software architects build and analyze models to understand systems and reduce risk, and use those models to create and evolve implementations. Since software development has diverse risks, architects build various kinds of models. They follow a divide-and-conquer strategy, where they “divide” by producing models with a limited view of the system, allowing them to comprehend and reason about a particular part or quality of the system. In order to “conquer,” however, they must understand how all the models fit back together to build a system.

So we need ways to make it easier to understand individual parts of a model and relate the parts with the whole.

Our courses explain how to use models of information, behavior, and components to express business problems and solutions, with the focus on interconnections between the models. Conceptual and concrete models are related to each other using refinement. Views narrow the details present in the full model, allowing analysis and improved comprehension.

The courses give participants the conceptual tools to help them divide models as needed, as well as fit them back together (“conquer” them). Course participants will leave with a coherent mental framework of software architecture, helping them to reconcile business needs with implementation issues, identify risks, and successfully design systems.

Courses

We offer a set of interlocking classes designed to suit your needs. The shorter the course, the more general the intended audience. Combining the two 3-day architecture courses yields the same content as the 5-day marathon course. Splitting the training is recommended so that participants have an opportunity to try out the new techniques (and generate questions) before the advanced material.

The lectures in the 3- and 5-day courses contain a running example and comprise about 60% of course time. The remaining 40% are in-depth exercises designed to reinforce key concepts.