System Architecture: Strategy and Product Development for Complex Systems, First Edition

Chapter 10 Upstream and Downstream Influences on System Architecture

10.1 Introduction

Having identified a wide variety of upstream and downstream influences in Chapter 9, in this ­chapter we select severalupstream and downstream influences to explore in more detail. Our intent is not to develop a framework for each, but to stimulate the reader to consider the relevant coupling between these influences and the architecture. Which influences will meaningfully reduce ambiguity? Which influences will help us select among candidate architectures? In this context, it is helpful to think about influences on architectural decisions (Box 10.1).

We will revisit architectural decisions in detail in Part 4, but it is a helpful concept to carry while discussing ...