IEEE 1471 is a superseded IEEE standard for describing the architecture of a "software-intensive system", also known as software architecture.

In 2011 it was replaced by ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011, Systems and software engineering - Architecture description.

IEEE 1471 is the short name for a standard formally known as ANSI/IEEE 1471-2000, Recommended Practice for the Architectural Description of Software-Intensive Systems. Within the language of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), this is a "recommended practice," the least prescriptive of their standards. In 2007, this standard was adopted by ISO/IEC JTC1/SC7 as ISO/IEC 42010:2007, Systems and software engineering: Recommended practice for the architectural description of software-intensive systems.[1]​.

It has long been recognized that "architecture" has a strong influence on the life cycle of a system. However, until relatively recently, hardware issues have tended to dominate architectural thinking, and software aspects, when considered, were often the first to be affected by development pressures.[2] IEEE 1471 was created to provide a basis for thinking about the architecture of software-intensive systems.

The contributions of IEEE 1471 can be summarized as follows (in this list, items in italics are terms defined and used in the standard):

IEEE 1471 provides informational annexes that relate its concepts to architectural concepts in other standards, including RM-ODP and IEEE 12207.

In August 1995, the IEEE Software Engineering Standards Committee (SESC) organized an IEEE Architecture Planning Group (APG) to set the direction for incorporating architectural thinking into IEEE standards. In April 1996, the Architecture Working Group (AWG) was created to implement the recommendations made by APG to the SESC. The AWG was chaired by Basil Sherlund, vice-presidents Ronald Wade, David Emery, and the specification was edited by Rich Hilliard. The GTE had 25 members. Drafts of the specification were voted on and commented on by 130 international reviewers. In September 2000, the IEEE-SA Standards Board approved the specification as IEEE Std 1471-2000.