Developments in System Architecting

Systems Architecting is an approach to complex and multi-disciplinary system development inspired by the insights of civil and naval architecting. The architect is responsible for establishing a satisfactory and feasible system concept at the earliest stage of system development, for maintaining the integrity of that concept throughout development, and for certifying the fitness of the resulting system for use by the client or customer. The twentieth century history of unprecedented system development indicates that gifted individuals, following an architectural approach, were at the center of successful systems developments. As this paradigm has gained attention, new developments have taken place. Among them are an emerging formalization of architecting methods, identification of research needs, and new education programs.