Architecting as a Risk- and Cost Management Discipline

We propose to view architecting as a risk- and cost management discipline. This point of view helps architects identify the key concerns to address in their decision making, by providing a simple, relatively objective way to assess architectural significance. It also helps business stakeholders to align the architect's activities and results with their own goals. We examine the consequences of this point of view on the architecture process, and give some guidance on its implementation, using examples from practicing architects trained in this approach.