Knowledge Architect: A Tool Suite for Managing Software Architecture Knowledge

Management of software architecture knowledge (AK) is vital for improving an organization’s architectural capabilities. To support the architecting process within our industrial partner: Astron, the Dutch radio astronomy institute, we implemented the Knowledge Architect (KA): a tool suite for creating, using, translating, sharing and managing AK. The KA tool suite entails specialized support for integrating the various process activities and supporting collaboration between the stakeholders. This report discusses the tools included and features of KA. We also discuss different usages of the KA for capturing and using AK to support the architecture process.