Malaysian Software Architects Gain International Recognition 

A group of our nation’s pre-eminent software architects placed Malaysia on the world map today by gaining international affiliation with the International Association of Software Architects (IASA). This affiliation was granted to The Independent Software Architects Council of Malaysia that was established in December 2004 to define, regulate and facilitate the advancement of software architecture as an industry in the country, towards boosting the local IT industry.

The affiliation marks a significant milestone in the nation’s bid to become a developer of worldclass software and solutions as it opens doors to a rich source of information and expertise through a global network of over 5,000 software architects.

Identifying the lack of proper software architecture as the missing link in the success of IT projects in Malaysia, IASA Malaysia is ramping up its efforts to drive awareness and understanding of the field to the nation. To this end, IASA Malaysia is committed to provide forums for peer networking; be a beacon for emerging architecture issues; advocate the views of architects for the good of the nation and industry; as well as promote ethical conduct and respect for intellectual property.

Drawing a correlation between software development and the construction industry, Mr TK Teh, President of IASA Malaysia, explained, “A software architect is what a structural architect is to the construction industry. We develop the blueprints that provide a holistic view of the composition and functionality of a software system. This means that software architects need to have breadth and depth of experience of being able to analyze requirements, determine components, guide and solve problems during implementation in order to ensure an end product that is coherent, powerful and effective.”

“Up to 80 percent of IT projects in fail for the basic lack of proper software architecture,” said TK. “This failure encompasses Time Overrun, Cost Overrun, Features Reduced, Didn’t meet User Requirements & Expectations, High Maintenance Cost & Difficult to Maintain and Poor Usability. However, based on an informal survey by our council members, we believe this figure is even higher in Malaysia. Given our nation’s bid to become an acknowledged developer of software and solutions that are of international standard, there is a critical need for those of us in the industry to step forward to share our expertise and knowledge.”

In the spirit of furthering the industry through the sharing of expertise and advocacy, IASA Malaysia responded to SIRIM’s recent call for public feedback on the adoption of the Open Document Format as a Malaysian Standard.

“The government has been exemplary in their support and drive to develop Malaysia’s IT industry,” said Mr Yap Kelip of IASA Malaysia. “Standards are important in software architecture, particularly in relation to interoperability, which in turn can impact how our nation communicates with the world. This is why we are calling upon the government to consider standards that have attained a level of maturity where it is readily accepted by the international market and is proven. This includes standards such as PDF and HTML that are widely used throughout the world.”