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Diagram
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Title
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Theory and Material
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Building Architecture
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Periods in architecture were marked by changes in theory as well as in materials used in construction and design. Changes in theory can be gradual. For instance the loss of appeal in religious knowledge which marked the transition in Gothic architecture happened over a period of time. Changes in the use of material are more visible as with the prominence of glass and iron which became the hallmark of the Victorian era.
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Architecture Intensive Disciplines
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The effects of changing technology is evident in the history of computing. The advent of mainframes, relational databases, networks, personal computers and the internet helped to shape the nature of computing. Architects must also take note of the changes in organisational and strategic thinking. Business process re-engineering in the early to mid 1990s had a major impact on information technology. World events have also shaped social thinking such as September 11. How have these affected security policies and development projects? How do these events and shifts in thinking affect the way we design systems?
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Case Study A: Large Corporate IT
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Web services was being punted as a solution for many of the integration problems faced. But it was the shifts in the (top down) strategic thinking that impacted more on the projects than the (bottom up) changes in technology. September 11 and the Enron saga had a negative impact on the economy. Stricter auditing controls and a strategic drive to apply standards through "Price of Non-Conformance" workshops gave impetus to a host of quality focused initiatives. Business units were under pressure to perform and deliver (revenue and profitability) which in turn put pressure on the quality processes within project development.
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Case Study B: Small Commercial Team
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The strategic thinking was always shifting between quality and delivery. As a small development company, revenue was the driving force. The fact that the company was operating at a loss made it the target of a takeover which put an end to the existing development project. The drive to improve the product was short lived.
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