SAIP (Chapter 12): CBAM

The Cost Benefits Analysis Method (CBAM) is a method of analyzing software architectures to aid in deciding which proposed architectural strategies should be implemented to achieve the key quality attributes of a given system. The CBAM is mentioned as a follow up method after an ATAM exercise to weigh the ratio of benefits to cost (ROI) for a system, using the artifacts from an ATAM.

Weighing the ROI of a system to help guide in architectural decisions is key to every system that has budget constraints or seeks to keep costs to a minimum. In my experience, I find that many software developers are always eager to employ the latest and greatest techologies whenever they have the opportunity. However, in most cases, the latest technology turns out to be an overkill that has significant costs. For instance, purchasing a high-availability Oracle RAC database system for a system that is not mission critical and can survive several hours of downtime. Knowing the ROI of a system in most cases will help avoid such choices and help the architect make better business decisions through the architecture--even if not structured in the format of a CBAM.