Borrowed from evolutionary computing, a fitness function is used to summarize how close a given design solution is to achieving the set aims. When defining an evolutionary algorithm, the designer seeks a ‘better’ algorithm; the fitness function defines what ‘better’ means in this context. An architectural fitness function, as defined in Building Evolutionary Architectures, provides an objective integrity assessment of some architectural characteristics, which may encompass existing verification criteria, such as unit testing, metrics, monitors, and so on. We believe architects can communicate, validate and preserve architectural characteristics in an automated, continual manner, which is the key to building evolutionary architectures.

Borrowed from evolutionary computing, a fitness function is used to summarize how close a given design solution is to achieving the set aims. When defining an evolutionary algorithm, the designer seeks a ‘better’ algorithm; the fitness function defines what ‘better’ means in this context. An architectural fitness function, as defined in Building Evolutionary Architectures, provides an objective integrity assessment of some architectural characteristics, which may encompass existing verification criteria, such as unit testing, metrics, monitors, and so on. We believe architects can communicate, validate and preserve architectural characteristics in an automated, continual manner, which is the key to building evolutionary architectures.