Model-Based System Architecture

System architecture is concerned with the composition of a system and its interfaces both internally and with its outside world. System architecting enables an organization to control the system architecture of its products. The central notion of the book is this: the main benefit of system architecting is the creation of communication paths and system understanding in the organization, rather than only the assurance of technical soundness. The book contains in-depth discussions of the system architect role and a system architect’s required skills and organizational interfaces.
The authors propose the model-based approach as an enabler in capturing and exchanging knowledge, because various concerns of system development can be expressed in one multi-dimensional model with the possibility of capturing multiple kinds of interrelationships between model elements. Views on the model will provide different perspectives on the system, which are kept consistent through the model. This is a central advantage of an
architecture model over an architecture description via loosely connected hand-written documents.
The described approach is valid for any heterogeneous system, be it hardware-centric, software centric or a complex mixture of hardware and software components or even more specialized entities. As a representative sample of such a heterogeneous system, a fictitious but realistic example system is used for demonstration purposes: the “virtual museum tour system”, which also exemplifies the possible spread of a system over multiple locations.
Since the success of systems architecting depends on people working in compliance with an architecture description, the book will describe how to create enthusiasm for systems architecting amongst developers, enabling the roll-out of architecture processes in an organization.

Tim Weilkiens is the CEO at the German consultancy oose Innovative Informatik and co-author of the SysML specification. He has introduced model-based systems engineering to a variety of industry sectors. He is author of several books about modeling and the MBSE methodology SYSMOD.

Jesko G. Lamm is a Senior Systems Engineer at Bernafon, a Swiss manufacturer for hearing instruments. With Tim Weilkiens, Jesko G. Lamm founded the Functional Architectures working group of the German chapter of INCOSE.

Stephan Roth is a coach, consultant, and trainer for systems and software engineering at the German consultancy oose Innovative Informatik. He is a state-certified technical assistant for computer science from Physikalisch-Technische Lehranstalt (PTL) Wedel and a certified systems engineer (GfSE)®- Level C.

Markus Walker works at Schindler Elevator in the research and development division as elevator system architect. He is an INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) and is engaged in the committee of the Swiss chapter of INCOSE.