On the Social Dimensions of Architectural Decisions

An architecture is recognised to be the output of a (group) design decision process. This process typically involves multiple stakeholders composed into a group with a socio-technical connotation. From a group decision making perspective, the various stakeholders involved in a design decision process analyze a given problem, propose alternate solutions, indicate their preferred alternative, and arrive at a consensus on the best possible solution. From an organisational and social perspective, the various stakeholders involved in a decision process form an organisational social structure (OSS). These structures have a significant impact on project success. In this work, we explore the overlaps and interconnections between group decision-making dynamics and the corresponding social and organisational dimensions, in the context of architectural knowledge management. We use a meta-model to illustrate these overlaps and interconnections.