CPSA Architectural Goals and Constraints 5

Question 1

An e-commerce platform must remain operational during Black Friday peak loads. Which architectural goal does this most directly represent?

Accepted Answer

Scalability under predictable load spikes

Answer

Maintaining operation under known peak load periods is a scalability goal, requiring the architecture to expand capacity to meet predictable demand surges.

Question 2

How does the Conway's Law principle relate to architectural constraints?

Accepted Answer

Organizational team structure creates an implicit constraint that shapes system architecture

Answer

Conway's Law states that systems mirror the communication structure of the organizations that design them, making org structure an implicit architectural constraint.

Question 3

A system's audit requirement mandates that every data change be logged with a timestamp and user identity. This requirement primarily impacts which quality attribute?

Accepted Answer

Accountability and traceability

Answer

Comprehensive audit logging directly supports accountability and traceability, enabling investigation of who changed what data and when.

Question 4

What is the most effective way to communicate architectural goals and constraints to a development team?

Accepted Answer

Architecture decision records (ADRs) combined with living architecture documentation

Answer

ADRs capture the rationale behind constraints while living documentation keeps them current, ensuring developers understand both what the constraints are and why they exist.

Question 5

When a new regulatory requirement emerges mid-project, what is the architect's first responsibility?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact on existing architectural decisions and document affected areas

Answer

Impact assessment identifies which architectural decisions are affected by the new constraint, enabling informed conversations with stakeholders about scope and schedule changes.

CPSA Exam Practice Test

CPSA Exam Practice Test

CPSA Architectural Goals and Constraints 5