CPSA CPSA Architecture Decision Making Questions and Answers 2

Question 1

Which stakeholder concern is most critical to capture before making a major architectural decision?

Accepted Answer

Conflicting quality attribute priorities among different stakeholder groups

Answer

Understanding conflicting quality attribute priorities between stakeholders is essential so that trade-offs can be consciously negotiated.

Question 2

What does 'fitness for purpose' mean when evaluating an architectural decision?

Accepted Answer

The decision adequately addresses the architecturally significant requirements and stakeholder needs

Answer

Fitness for purpose means the architecture appropriately satisfies the specific goals and constraints of the system being built.

Question 3

Why is reversibility an important consideration when making architectural decisions?

Accepted Answer

Irreversible decisions carry higher risk and should be deferred or validated more carefully

Answer

High-reversibility decisions can be changed cheaply, so irreversible ones warrant more analysis and stakeholder alignment before commitment.

Question 4

What is the role of 'assumptions' in documenting architectural decisions?

Accepted Answer

They identify conditions that are believed to be true but have not been verified, which could invalidate the decision if wrong

Answer

Documenting assumptions makes decision dependencies explicit, so if an assumption is later invalidated, the affected decision can be revisited.

Question 5

Which of the following is a sign of a well-documented architectural decision?

Accepted Answer

It includes the problem statement, alternatives considered, rationale, and known trade-offs

Answer

A well-documented decision captures the problem, considered alternatives, chosen option, rationale, and the trade-offs accepted.

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