Architecture analysis tools to support evolution of large industrial systems

This paper describes an architecture analysis tool-set supporting evolutionary improvement of the software architecture of an existing medical imaging system. The toolset has been developed with co-operation between Philips Research and Philips Medical Systems. The medical imaging system is a large and software intensive system. Improvements to its architecture will lead to many development and business benefits, provided the improvements can be made efficiently and without major disruptions. The major challenge in supporting these improvements was finding a technical solution that fits well with the organization and processes of the development department. We came up with an approach that enables the migration to be performed in small increments and in line with existing processes and procedures established to meet requirements for patient safety and other qualities. Our tools provide relevant information about the current status and recent trends in software architecture, allowing software architects and engineers to monitor the progress of the migration and to identify potential problems as early as possible.