Concerns

Intro

Concerns describe the key interests of important stakeholders. They matter because architecture decisions should address stakeholder priorities and constraints.

Key points:

• Focuses analysis on what stakeholders care about.
• Guides viewpoints and models to answer relevant questions.
• Common use cases: security concerns (Tech), regulatory needs (EA), usability (Apps), throughput and quality (BPM).
• Pitfall: mixing concerns with solutions, which biases evaluation.

Examples:

• Compliance concern driving data retention and access controls.
• Cost optimization concern informing application rationalization.
• Customer experience concern shaping process touchpoints.

In practice:

Capture concerns early and map them to viewpoints and requirements to keep design relevant.

Related terms: stakeholder; viewpoint; requirement

FAQs:

Q: How are concerns used in architecture?
A: They inform viewpoints, models, and decision criteria.

Q: Who defines concerns?
A: Stakeholders, refined by architects through interviews and analysis.

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