
1
1Chapter
Introduction
1.1 To Begin …
is is the reference book for the Method Framework for Engineering System Architectures (MFESA),
and as its name implies, MFESA helps system architects use system architecture engineering to create
system architectures. However, there are no universally accepted definitions for these three terms,
and the lack of standard definitions has been the cause of considerable confusion and disagreement.
erefore, to begin at the beginning, we start by defining these three foundational concepts.
Most common definitions equate system architecture with the overall top-level structure of the
system in terms of its major