System Requirements Specification (Syrs) 2.0: The Structure-Behavior Coalescence Approach

System requirements specification (SyRS) is, in the systems development life cycle, a result of the requirements and specifications phase. That is, a system requirements specification is for the analysts to find out what the customers indeed expect the system to do for them. When working on the system requirements specification, we only specify what this system is, but never ask how this system shall be manufactured. A system has been specified, by system requirements specification (SyRS) 1.0, hopefully to be an integrated whole, embodied in its assembled components, their interactions with each other and the environment. Since systems structure and systems behavior are the two most prominent views of a system, integrating the systems structure and systems behavior apparently is the best way to achieve a truly integrated whole of a system. Because system requirements specification 1.0 does not specify the integration of systems structure and systems behavior, very likely it will never be able to actually form an integrated whole of a system. Structure-behavior coalescence (SBC) provides an elegant way to integrate the systems structure and systems behavior, and hence achieves a truly integrated whole, of a system. A truly integrated whole sets a path to achieve the desired system requirements specification (SyRS). SBC facilitates an integrated whole. Therefore, we conclude that system requirements specification (SyRS) 2.0 using the SBC approach, which contains three fundamental diagrams: a) architecture hierarchy diagram, b) component operation diagram, and c) interaction flow diagram, is highly adequate in specifying a system.

Dr. William S. Chao is the CEO & founder of SBC Architecture International(R). SBC (Structure-Behavior Coalescence) architecture is a systems architecture which demands the integration of systems structure and systems behavior of a system. SBC architecture applies to hardware architecture, software architecture, enterprise architecture, knowledge architecture, and thinking architecture. The core theme of SBC architecture is: "Architecture = Structure > Behavior." William S. Chao received his bachelor degree (1976) in telecommunication engineering and master degree (1981) in information engineering, both from the National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan. From 1976 till 1983, he worked as an engineer at Chung-Hwa Telecommunication Company, Taiwan. William S. Chao received his master degree (1985) in information science and Ph.D. degree (1988) in information science, both from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. From 1988 till 1991, he worked as a computer scientist at GE Research and Development Center, Schenectady, New York, USA.