Artifact:  Design Guidelines

Design Guidelines	Describes the design and implementation guidelines.
Role:	Software Architect
Templates:	HTML Others
More Information:	Checkpoints:Design Guidelines
Purpose Timing Responsibility Tailoring

Input to Activities: Identify Test Ideas Launch Development Case Compile Software Development Plan Database Design Implement Component Perform Unit Tests Identify Design Elements Structure the Implementation Model Incorporate Existing Design Elements Review the Architecture Review the Design Subsystem Design Class Design Architectural Analysis Develop Design Guidelines Identify Design Mechanisms

Output from Activities: Architectural Analysis Develop Design Guidelines Identify Design Mechanisms

Purpose

Design Guidelines is a product of the architecture definition. Many people will need this document because it describes the guidelines to be followed during design, architectural design, and implementation.

• It is an artifact created and maintained by the software architect, and serves as a communication medium between the software architect and other developers.
• Designers will use it as a reference when defining operations on design classes and when adjusting design classes to the implementation environment.
• Package owners will use it as a reference when describing dependencies between packages.
• Implementers will use it as a reference when implementing design classes.
• Reviewers will use it as a reference when reviewing the software architecture, design model, and implementation model. This resolves a lot of debate regarding the quality of the artifacts produced.
• Newcomers to the project will use it to understand what is being produced.

When this document is created, an important input is a specification of the implementation environment. Examples of things that should be specified are target platform (hardware, operating system), window system, screens, development tools (language, GUI builder), database management system, and component libraries.

Timing

The Design Guidelines are developed early in the Elaboration phase, prior to the beginning of significant design work.

Responsibility

A Software Architect is responsible for producing the Design Guidelines document.

Tailoring

You should adjust the outline of the Design Guidelines document for these reasons:

• Some of the General Design and Implementation Guidelines may be irrelevant for your project.
• You may need additional sections and appendices to describe how to handle any mechanisms that are not handled here.
• The order of the various sections may vary, depending on the system's stakeholders and their focus or interest.

Copyright  © 1987 - 2001 Rational Software Corporation

Rational Unified Process