Embedded Software Architecture

A solid foundation for complete system life cycles

For complex systems, their software architecture forms a crucial factor determining their potential for continuous change to keep them sustainable. Choosing the wrong software architecture incurs the risk of high cost of subsequent customizing. Rapid technological obsolescence and a lack of scalability are just some of the further consequences. Investing in the explicit design of a software architecture at an early stage saves development and maintenance costs in the long run.

Software architecture never ends

Neglecting to monitor and adjust the architecture continuously will result in a system that is very different from the specified architecture and will not follow predefined solution paths that ensure scalability, for instance. The software architecture needs to be defined continuously throughout the entire development process.

The optimal software architecture for your system

Failing to develop the software architecture explicitly will result in an implicit — and in most cases unsuitable — software architecture forming. This is often influenced by:

• Team know-how
• Interfaces between system components
• Lack of documentation and testability
• Little freedom of choice in hardware

Key nonfunctional aspects can also be provided for if experienced software architects become involved in early development stages — starting with the requirements definition, for instance. This helps integrate differing interests as well as functional and non-functional requirements into plausible, well-documented architectural decisions.

Service portfolio

Software architecture development and project support

Acting as an uncommitted generalist, Berner & Mattner provides the openness and abstraction needed as a basis for sound design decisions and opens up access to the latest tools and technologies for your developers. The project support for defining your software architecture starts at an early stage and includes:

• Identifying functional and nonfunctional requirements
• Evaluating new technologies
• Identifying required components
• Design decision support
• Defining a test strategy

Analysis of existing software architectures

Our architecture consultants will prepare concrete proposals for adapting an existing software structure to enable a planned advancement to be implemented in a robust way and will work with your team to develop the best solution.

• Tool-based analysis of existing software solutions
• Documentation of the existing software architecture
• Identifying and evaluating potential migration and change paths

Coaching and facilitating

Berner & Mattner acts as a qualified and at the same time neutral facilitator for key software architecture decisions. We can also provide tool-based monitoring of consistent compliance with architectural decisions through to coding conventions, if desired.