Three Approaches to Complex System Decomposition

Most work on component or function based DSMs thus far starts with an assumption that decomposition is trivial. In this paper we introduce three distinct approaches to decomposing a complex system: assembly decomposition, functional decomposition and service based decomposition. Then we apply these guidelines to a Xerox printing system. We conclude that the results of architectural analysis, for a complex system, are directly affected by the approach taken to decompose the system and the whole to part ratio.