Software architecture: practice, potential, and pitfalls

Whatever the long-term impact of software architecture may turn out to be, an appropriate starting point is a concrete appraisal of the current state of the practice in the use of software architecture. It is the purpose of the article to take a step in this direction. It provides concrete examples of what is now possible when architectural principles are applied to industrial problems in systematic ways, considers the potential impact of software architecture over the next few years, and suggests steps that should be taken to bring this about