Defining Change Management Properties for Component Interoperability Assessment

In this paper, we leverage software architecture analysis techniques to codify change management properties and to examine their affect on the functional integration of software components. Software architecture provides a means to predict and analyze the potential for interoperability problems among interacting components. However, the properties addressed in traditional software architecture analysis are limited to the functions for a component’s exchange of control and data. We define architectural abstractions for change management that can be used to extend integration analysis. We exemplify how these properties contribute to the architectural conflicts between interacting components, as well as influence the conflict resolution. The goal is to extend component-based systems analysis to include change management concerns so that clearer designs of dynamic, distributed systems emerge.