In the 1620s,
Like all architects of the systems that push the envelope of experience, Hybertsson had to balance many concerns. Swift time to deployment was critical, but then so were performance, functionality, safety, reliability and cost. He was also responsible to a variety of stakeholders. First of all, in this case, the customer really was King. But Hybertsson also was responsible to the crew that would sail his creation. Also like all architects, Hybertsson brought his experience with him to the task. In this case, his experience told him to design Vasa as though it were a single-gun-deck ship and then extrapolate, which was in accordance with the technical environment of the day. Faced with perhaps an impossible task, Hybertsson had the good sense to die about an year before the ship was finished.
The project was completed to his specifications, however, and on Sunday morning, August 10, 1628, the mighty ship was ready. She set her sails, waddled out into
Inquiries followed, which concluded that the ship was well built but “badly proportioned”. In other words, its architecture was flawed. Today we know that Hybertsson did a poor job of balancing all the conflicting constraints levied on him. In particular, he did a poor job of customer management (not that anyone could have fared better) and acquiesced in the face of impossible requirements.
The story of Vasa, although 370 years old, well illustrated the architecture business cycle:
Source: Software Architecture in Practice
--- Len Bass, Paul Clements, Rick Kazman
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