IEEE 1471 - ISO 42010
International Standard for Architecture Description
ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011, previously known as IEEE 1471, is an international standard that defines requirements for describing system, software, and enterprise architectures. It aims to standardize the practice of architecture description by defining standard terms, presenting a conceptual foundation for expressing, communicating, and reviewing architectures, and specifying requirements that apply to architecture descriptions, architecture frameworks, and architecture description languages.
The standard was developed jointly by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to ensure a consistent and systematic approach to architecture description.
IEEE 1471 - ISO 42010 Standard.
The primary objective of ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010 is to establish a common framework and vocabulary for expressing, communicating, and evaluating architectural information clearly and structured. It addresses the growing need for systems to be documented in an understandable and shareable way among diverse stakeholders, such as business managers, system engineers, software developers, and project sponsors.
The standard introduces several key concepts, including the ideas of architecture views, viewpoints, and stakeholders. A view represents a whole system from the perspective of a related set of concerns. A viewpoint defines the conventions for constructing, interpreting, and using a view. Stakeholders are those individuals or groups interested in the system and its architecture and whose concerns must be addressed.
In addition to describing architectures, ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010 also sets forth requirements for architecture frameworks, the conventions, principles, and practices for using architecture descriptions within a particular domain or community, and for architecture description languages (ADLs), which are formal languages used to represent architecture models.
By offering a standardized method to describe and analyze architectures, ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010 promotes greater interoperability, traceability, and reusability across architectural practices, projects, and tools. It is vital in aligning architecture-related activities with organizational goals and enhancing communication among technical and non-technical stakeholders.