Quality Attributes¶

Quality Attributes are shared, explicit expectations about how well a system behaves and how its structure holds up over time, reaching beyond the feature list. They split into two families: execution quality (observable at runtime, such as reliability, performance, and security) and evolution quality (embedded in the static structure, such as maintainability, portability, and scalability). Teams use them to evaluate architectural options, set boundaries around acceptable technical debt, and communicate priorities across roles. Without agreed quality attributes, each developer optimizes for different invisible goals.

See also: Software Architecture · Technical Debt · Architectural Decision Record