Essay Grade

Software Architecture Scope and Goals

By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assignment criteria:

• Competency 1: Define business problems that can be solved using software architecture concepts and standards.
• Competency 2: Explain fundamental concepts and principles of software architecture.
• Competency 3: Create a software and data architecture for an organization.
• Competency 4: Apply collaboration strategies in the software architecture process.
• Competency 5: Communicate effectively.

Assignment Overview

The software architecture process incorporates many steps. For this assignment, you will consider scope and stakeholders. Read the following Fantasy Games scenario so that you can apply this step of the process to this scenario.

Fantasy Games Scenario

Your consulting company has been hired by the CIO to design the software architecture for Fantasy Games. The company is adding a new game titled Asteroids to its catalog and intends to build a multiplayer environment for this new game. An entirely new subcomponent needs to be added to their existing Web community in order to support this game, and you are to create a software architecture proposal for this new subsystem. As part of your proposal, you have been asked to develop a single-player, working prototype of the game itself.

The Fantasy Games community currently has 1.2 million users, and they expect that user activity will grow tremendously with the addition of this new environment. Your design must be flexible enough to accommodate the current number of users plus all anticipated and unanticipated future growth.

The Asteroids Web component, or subsystem, for this game should include many of the same features found on other popular online gaming sites such as chat, instant messaging, user-rank functionality, and high-score display. Although Fantasy Games currently has a few other multiplayer games available within their overall community, they would like this project to set the new standards for how similar subsystems will be added in the future.

Assignment Preparation

For this assignment, you will need to consider these four Fantasy Games stakeholders:

• An avid online gamer.
• The Vice President of Operations.
• The Lead Software Developer.
• The Lead Software Architect.

Consider what type of questions and facts you would ask of these stakeholders when developing the scope of the project. It will be up to you to develop all the Fantasy Games user requirements, business needs, facts, and assumptions to drive your architecture design. This assignment will include writing and using Visio to create a UML Use Case diagram.

In order to prepare for your assignment, view the following media pieces linked in the Resources.

• Project Stakeholders.
• Conversation About Goals.
• Conversation about Constraints and Scope.

Assignment Instructions

Once you complete your preparation, create a 3-4 page professional paper in which you complete the following:

In this assignment, you will create a Requirements and Scope document for this development. Complete the following:

1. Determine the types of questions you would need to ask the stakeholders.
2. Determine the architectural scope of the project.
3. Create a UML use case diagram of the project that presents a high-level picture of the system’s boundaries and adjacent external entities. Use Visio to complete this diagram.
4. Determine constraints on the project.
5. Determine the team necessary to work on this project and clarify the roles of each team member.

Microsoft Visio is provided through a Toolwire virtual desktop for your use to create the diagrams required for your assignment. Access the software via the Toolwire resources in this unit.

Refer to the Software Architecture: Scope and Goals Scoring Guide to ensure that you meet the grading criteria for this assignment.