scope:

This document specifies requirements on the structure and expression of architecture descriptions (ADs) for various entities, including software, systems, enterprises, systems of systems, families of systems, products (goods or services), product lines, service lines, technology, and business domains. In this document, the term entity of interest refers to the entity whose architecture is under consideration in the preparation of an architecture description (AD). This document distinguishes the architecture of an entity of interest from an AD expressing that architecture. ADs, not architectures, are the subject of this document. Whereas an AD is a tangible work product, an architecture is intangible and abstract that can be understood through its concepts, properties and principles. This document specifies requirements on use of the architectural concepts and their relationships captured in an AD and does not specify requirements for any entity of interest or its environment. This document specifies requirements on architecture description frameworks (ADFs), architecture description languages (ADLs), architecture viewpoints and model kinds in order to usefully support the development and use of ADs. This document also provides motivations for use of architecture-related terms and concepts in other documents such as guides and standards. This document specifies conformance to the requirements on ADs, ADFs, ADLs, viewpoints, and model kinds. This document does not explicitly address completeness or correctness of an AD. Nevertheless, completeness and correctness of an AD can be partially checked, for example, through the consistency of the AD elements established, whether relationships are transitive, and whether AD elements are shown in the respective views. Consistency rules can also be defined with respect to showing the same particular AD element has correspondences with an AD. This document does not specify the processes, architecting methods, models, notations, techniques or tools by which an AD is created, utilized or managed. NOTE - ISO/IEC IEEE 42020 [17] specifies a set of processes for architecting which can be employed in support of creating one or more ADs. The architecture elaboration process in that standard is especially relevant for creation of ADs. This document does not specify any format or media for recording ADs. The intent of this document is to enable a range of consistent and coherent approaches to AD including document-centric and model-based techniques.