NDLI: Striving for coherency to mitigate the complexity of system design

Content Provider	IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Author	Mulcare, D.B.
Copyright Year	1997
Description	Author affiliation: SAIC, Warner Robins, GA, USA (Mulcare, D.B.)
Abstract	Software system complexity needs to be viewed from the perspectives of both the design product and the design process. In typical practice, design products appear quite overly complex relative to the capabilities provided. Frequently, system designs seem to exhibit a large degree of unwarranted complexity. On the other hand, system-level design methods are usually lacking in complexity relative to the challenge of essential design tasks. In consequence, too many design commitments are made without adequate bases, out of proper order, or by default. The result of such design commitments is a combination of unwarranted complexity and compromised system capabilities. Two other distinctions that also need to be acknowledged are the differences between: functional architecture and architectural design; and system requirements and system specifications. Distinctions are usually not observed in development processes that are dismissive of the nature and ramifications of proper system-level design. Here, the dilution of the system design effort tends to compromise the design product, because many of the major design commitments are made in the absence of a precisely defined architectural design. Whether soundly based or not, these early-on commitments continue to profoundly affect product construction and complexity throughout development. Accordingly, it is vital to invest in rigorous system-level design methods and practices. They can engender coherence, and hence mitigate complexity in design products and disorder in later stages of development.
Starting Page	330
Ending Page	337
File Size	945695
Page Count	8
File Format	PDF
ISBN	0818678895
DOI	10.1109/ECBS.1997.581899
Language	English
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Publisher Date	1997-03-24
Publisher Place	USA
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Rights Holder	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Subject Keyword	System-level design Product design Embedded system Software systems Process design Design methodology Costs Programming Maintenance
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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