Balancing value in complex systems development

Abstract

The analysis of alternatives during the concept exploration must support the transformation of a need into a balanced design, must be able to reconcile the differences in the present set of physical and functional requirements and must evaluate the operational scenarios in terms of several attributes. However, the analysis of alternatives in the early stages of complex systems development is poorly structured and characterized by not sufficient detail for the assessment of the initially identified needs. The understanding of the relationship between the preferences of stakeholders and potential solutions for the systemic analysis of alternative designs is one of the most important activities in pursuit of information that can distinguish good from bad solutions. The evaluation of the system properties during the project requires the ability to analyze and map the architecture value space to find the best solutions. Thus, decisions made early in the development of a program should be supported by systems engineering analysis, involving teams of users, purchasers and others involved in the project, namely the stakeholders. In this paper are discussed several value dimensions and implications for the systems development to achieve and balancing value in complex system development. © 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited.

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