Oh! Another book on software architecture! Perhaps the mysteries behind building software will definitely be solved one day!

Often it is argued that good software architecture without implementation strategies, and good implementation strategies with no software architecture, may force software projects to flounder. Market analyses showing software project failures are not uncommon. It is, therefore, interesting to read books and articles on software architecture, and to see the way this information is presented and discussed. Constructive engagements in pursuing software architecture notwithstanding, ultimately the user is due workable software to be used as the user desires. This user-centeredness is perhaps possible because of effective engagements between software architects, developers, and of course users. Many authors have made the analogy between the role of an architect and that of a civil engineer (project manager) of a building under construction (mostly static); many have also discussed this by presenting the fate of the Titanic (moving); others compare software architecture with the wing of a bird (very agile, lightweight, fast); and it goes on.

This book discusses software architecture at a macro level and, to begin with, relates the issues to building a house. It is not surprising. Further, it is interesting to note the author’s views on the East-West divide in approaching a philosophy of life (that is, the West pursuing rational and the East pursuing intuition) and then taking this approach to understand the practical aspects of software architecture. It is of course fundamental for a software architect to visualize the broad contours and contexts of the software and benchmark with rational and intuitive engagements. The book provides insights into dealing with these challenges through case-based discussions, especially a case on Best West Manufacturers (BMW) with the software Elixir, which is progressively discussed in every chapter. This approach would support the reader with clarity to appreciate the role of software architecture in practice. However, the BMW case could have been elaborated with some details to understand more of its core areas, a road map for products and services, and the life cycles of the organization and information technology.

Software architecture needs to derive inspirations from the organization for which the project is envisioned irrespective of whether it is based on commercially off the shelf (COTS) products or on process, in which software development is pursued. Elixir, the software development project for BMW, provides the scope for such comparison. Though the book briefly discusses the role of architecture at the levels of organization, systems, and technologies, there was scope to discuss the congruence/fitness of the architectures that each of these would bring in. Architectural study provides scope for capturing best practices; therefore, a chapter on this could have provided holistic understanding. The context diagrams related to business, systems (Elixir), and systems view for Elixir are quite simple to understand and relate to the case. In most chapters, the tables are quite lengthy, affecting readability. The architectural decisions are quite interesting to read.

Ideally, this book captures the practitioner’s viewpoint, providing a well-articulated baseline for researchers, students, academics, project managers, and software architects to understand the role of software architecture and relate it to the real world of implementation.

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