Model-based Systems Architecting

2Why Architecting Systems?

2.1. Product and project systems

Before going further, we need first to introduce a distinction that will be fundamental to a better understanding of both what systems architecting is and how to read many classical engineering issues. It indeed appears that all engineered systems are always involving two kinds of systems (see Figure 2.1):

• – The first is clearly the product system, that is, the integrated hardware and software¹ object which is under engineering in order to be finally constructed and put in service.
• – The second is the project system, that is, the engineering organization (or in other terms the engineers) who is designing and developing the product system.

These two types of systems are of quite different nature: the product system is usually a technical-dominant system, while the project system is clearly a human-dominant system. However, as shown in Figure 2.1, these two systems are highly and permanently coupled during all design and development phases of the product system: the project system typically monitors the implementation status of the product system through adapted implementation actions that change this implementation status.

The product/project distinction seems very simple. However, it appears in practice that most of engineers are thinking in terms of project activities realization and not of product characteristics achievement. Many engineering issues are therefore arising from the fact that system development projects ...