The Method Framework for Engineering System Architectures

The architects of today’s large and complex systems all too often struggle with the lack of a consistent set of principles and practices that adequately address the entire breadth of systems architecture. The Method Framework for Engineering System Architectures (MFESA) enables system architects and process engineers to create methods for effectively and efficiently engineering high-quality architecture for systems, subsystems, and software components.
Meets the Needs of Specific Projects

The book begins by documenting the common challenges that must be addressed by system architecture engineering. It explores the major principles answering these challenges and forming the basis of MFESA. Next, the authors introduce MFESA, including its primary goals, inputs, tasks, outputs, and assumptions. Then they describe the fundamental concepts and terminology on which the systems architecture engineering is founded. This is followed by a description of each of the ten system architecture engineering tasks including associated goals and objectives, preconditions, inputs, steps, postconditions, work products, guidelines, and pitfalls.

Finally, the book documents the relationship between quality and architecture, explains the quality model underlying MFESA, and provides a summary of MFESA method framework, as well as a list of points to remember and future directions planned for MFESA.
Explains Specific Rationales

Organized as a handy desk reference, this book harnesses more than 100 years of the authors’ combined professional experience to provide extensive guidelines, best practices, and tips on avoiding possible pitfalls. It presents a direct rationale of why steps are taken, how things can go wrong, and guidance for how and when to tailor the model for a system’s specific context.
CRC Press is pleased to announce that The Method Framework for Engineering System Architectures has been added to Intel Corporation’s Recommended Reading List. Intel’s Recommended Reading program provides technical professionals a simple and handy reference list of what to read to stay abreast of new technologies. Dozens of industry technologists, corporate fellows, and engineers have helped by suggesting books and reviewing the list. This is the most comprehensive reading list available for professional computer developers.

Introduction
System Architecture Engineering Challenges
System Architecture Engineering Principles
MFESA: An Overview
MFESA: The Ontology of Concepts and Terminology
Task 1: Plan and Resource the Architecture Engineering Effort
Task 2: Identify the Architectural Drivers
Task 3: Create the First Versions of the Most Important Architectural Models
Task 4: Identify Opportunities for the Reuse of Architectural Elements
Task 5: Create the Candidate Architectural Visions
Task 6: Analyze Reusable Components and Their Sources
Task 7: Select or Create the Most Suitable Architectural Vision
Task 8: Complete the Architecture and its Representations
Task 9: Evaluate and Accept the Architecture
Task 10: Maintain the Architecture and its Representations
MFESA Method Components: Architectural Workers
MFESA: The Metamethod for Creating Endeavor-Specific Methods
Architecture and Quality
Conclusions
Appendix A: Acronyms and Glossary
Appendix B: MFESA Method Components
Appendix C: List of Guidelines and Pitfalls
Appendix D: Decision Making Techniques
Annotated References/Bibliography
Index