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If engineering is the art and science of technical problem solving, systems architecting happens when you don't yet know what the problem is. The third edition of a highly respected bestseller, The Art of Systems Architecting provides in-depth coverage of the least understood part of systems design: moving from a vague concept and limited resources to a satisfactory and feasible system concept and an executable program. The book provides a practical, heuristic approach to the "art" of systems architecting. It provides methods for embracing, and then taming, the growing complexity of modern systems.


New in the Third Edition:








Five major case studies illustrating successful and unsuccessful practices
Information on architecture frameworks as standards for architecture descriptions
New methods for integrating business strategy and architecture and the role of architecture as the technical embodiment of strategy
Integration of process guidance for organizing and managing architecture projects
Updates to the rapidly changing fields of software and systems-of-systems architecture
Organization of heuristics around a simple and practical process model





A Practical Heuristic Approach to the Art of Systems Architecting


Extensively rewritten to reflect the latest developments, the text explains how to create a system from scratch, presenting invention/design rules together with clear explanations of how to use them. The author supplies practical guidelines for avoiding common systematic failures while implementing new mandates. He uses a heuristics-based approach that provides an organized attack on very ill-structured engineering problems. Examining architecture as more than a set of diagrams and documents, but as a set of decisions that either drive a system to success or doom it to failure, the book provide methods for integrating business strategy with technical architectural decision making.

The Art of Systems Architecting

Part I: Introduction





A Brief Review of Classical Architecting Methods











Chapter 1 Extending the Architecting Paradigm





Introduction: The Classical Architecting Paradigm





Responding to Complexity





The High Rate of Advances in the Computer and Information Sciences





The Foundations of Modern Systems Architecting





The Architecture Paradigm Summarized





The Waterfall Model of Systems Acquisition





Spirals, Increments, and Collaborative Assembly





Scopes of Architecting











Chapter 2 Heuristics as Tools





Introduction: A Metaphor





Heuristics as Abstractions of Experience





Selecting a Personal Kit of Heuristic Tools





Using Heuristics





A Process Framework for Architecting Heuristics





Heuristics on Heuristics





A Taxonomy of Heuristics





New Directions











Part II: New Domains, New Insights





Case Study 1: DC-3





The History





Architecture Interpretation





Three Story Variations





Was the Boeing 247 Successfully Architected?





What Is the "Architecture" of the DC-3?





Art Raymond's Principles











Chapter 3 Builder-Architected Systems





Introduction: The Form-First Paradigm





Technological Substitutions within Existing Systems





Consequences of Uncertainty of End Purpose





Architecture and Competition





Reducing the Risks of Uncertainty of End Purpose





Risk Management by Intermediate Goals





The "What Next?" Quandary





Controlling the Critical Features of the Architecture





Abandonment of an Obsolete Architecture





Creating Innovative Teams





Architecting "Revolutionary" Systems





Systems Architecting and Basic Research





Heuristics for Architecting Technology-Driven Systems











Case Study 2: Mass and Lean Production





Introduction





An Architectural History of Mass Production





Cottage Industry (1890s to 1910s)





Birth of Mass Production (1908-1913)





Competition from New Quarters (1920s to 1930s)





The Toyota Production System (1940s to 1980s)





Metaphor or Vision Changes





Craftsmen





A Car for the Masses, or If We Build It, It Will Sell





Cars as Fashion





The Supermarket Metaphor





The Toyota Way





Elements of the Architecture of the Ford Production System





The Assembly Line





Enterprise Distribution





Management Processes





Quality Assurance for Distributed Production





Devotion to Component-Level Simplification





Social Contract











Chapter 4 Manufacturing Systems





Introduction: The Manufacturing Domain





Manufacturing in Context





Architectural Innovations in Manufacturing





Dynamic Manufacturing Systems





Lean Production





Flexible Manufacturing





Heuristics for Architecting Manufacturing Systems











Case Study 3: Intelligent Transportation Systems





Introduction





ITS Concepts





ITS Sociotechnical Issues





Who Is the Client for an Architect?





Public or Private?





Facts and Perceptions





Architecture as Shared Invariants





Dominance of Economics











Chapter 5 Social Systems





Introduction: Defining Sociotechnical Systems





Public Participation





The Foundations of Sociotechnical Systems Architecting





The Separation of Client and User





Socioeconomic Insights





The Interaction between the Public and Private Sectors





Facts versus Perceptions: An Added Tension





Heuristics for Social Systems











Case Study 4: Hierarchical to Layered Systems





Business Background





Motivation for Change





The Layered Alternative





The Pain of the Transition





Results











Chapter 6 Software and Information Technology Systems





Introduction: The Status of Software Architecting





Software as a System Component





Systems, Software, and Process Models





The Problem of Hierarchy





The Role of Architecture in Software-Centered Systems





Programming Languages, Models, and Expression





Architectures, "Unifying" Models, and Visions





Directions in Software Architecting





Exercises











Case Study 5: The Global Positioning System





The History





The Origins of GPS: The Foundational Programs





Inertial Navigation and Its Limits





Weapon Delivery





The Transit Program





TIMATION





621B





The Origin of GPS





Parkinson and Currie





The Fateful Weekend





The Long Road to Revolution





The Timeline to Operation





Commercial Markets and the Gulf War





Revolution in the Second Generation





Ubiquitous GPS





GPS-Guided Weapons





Architecture Interpretation





Right Idea, Right Time, Right People





Be Technically Aggressive, But Not Suicidal





Consensus without Compromise





Architecture as Invariants





Revolution through Coupled Change











Chapter 7 Collaborative Systems





Introduction: Collaboration as a Category





Collaborative System Examples





Analogies for Architecting Collaborative Systems





Collaborative System Heuristics





Variations on the Collaborative Theme





Misclassification





Standards and Collaborative Systems

















Part III: Models and Modeling





Introduction to Part III





A Civil Architecture Analogy





Guide to Part III











Chapter 8 Representation Models and Systems Architecting





Introduction: Roles, Views, and Models





Roles of Models





Models, Viewpoints, and Views





Classification of Models by View





Conclusion





Exercises





Notes and References











Chapter 9 Design Progression in Systems Architecting





Introduction: Architecting Process Components





Design Progression





Introduction by Examples





Design as the Evolution of Models





Evaluation Criteria and Heuristic Refinement





Design Concepts for Systems Architecture





Architecture and Design Disciplines











Chapter 10 Integrated Modeling Methodologies





Introduction





General Integrated Models





Integrated Modeling and Software





Integrated Models for Manufacturing Systems





Integrated Models for Sociotechnical Systems











Chapter 11 Architecture Frameworks





Introduction





Defining an Architecture Framework





Current Architecture Frameworks





Research Directions





Adapting Processes to Frameworks





Conclusion





Notes and References











Part IV: The Systems Architecting Profession











Chapter 12 Architecting in Business and Government





Problem-System-Program-Organization





Strategy and Architecture in Business and Government





Architecture of Programs





Strategic Architecting of Programs





Enterprise Architecture











Chapter 13 The Political Process and Systems Architecting





Introduction: The Political Challenge





Politics as a Design Factor





The First Skill to Master





Heuristics in the Political Process: "The Facts of Life"





A Few More Skills to Master











Chapter 14 The Professionalization of Systems Architecting





Introduction





The Profession of Systems Engineering





Systems Architecting and Systems Standards





The Origins of Systems Standards





Commercial Standards





Company Standards





A Summary of Standards Developments, 1950-1995





Systems Architecting Graduate Education





Curriculum Design





Advanced Study in Systems Architecting





Professional Societies and Publications





Conclusion: An Assessment of the Profession





Notes and References











Appendix A: Heuristics for Systems-Level Architecting





Introduction: Organizing the List





Heuristic Tool List





Exercises





Notes and References











Appendix B: Reference Texts Suggested for Institutional Libraries





Architecting Background





Management





Modeling





Specialty Areas





Software





Systems Sciences





Systems Thinking











Appendix C: On Defining Architecture and Other Terms





Defining "Architecture"





Models, Viewpoints, and Views





Reference











Glossary





Author Index





Subject Index