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Engineering Systems Integration
ask questions, gather resources, develop plans, manage “the work,” build the
products or services, deliver the goods, assimilate feedback on the customer’s experiences with the goods, sustain the goods in use, and finally revamp,
replace, or dispose. Soup as integration is a nexus of classes (abstract, social,
and model), all three contributing at the proper time in the proper way to
support the whole throughout its lifecycle. Systems integration is a method
of system science; a method of systems engineering; a method of all disciplines; all fields; and all work.
But it is not science to know how to convert one thing into another or put
two things together or give something a name. The subtleties of integration
are wrapped in connecting things in ways that satisfy the expectations for
the degree of dependency between objects (coupling) and the manner in and
degree to which the objects relate to each other (cohesion). Defining things
and their limits (referred to as granularity) of influence is a significant challenge for integration, as is interpreting the level of utility (referred to as
abstraction of categories or hierarchy of uses of the whole). Both abstraction
and granularity are particularly vexing for integration. The techniques and
formulations of determining abstractions and partitions that are descriptive
of things are not science. Integration as a science is part of a continuum of
activities starting with an object that is doing something, why it is doing it,
and what the consequences of doing it are.
An object that does not interact with another object cannot be integrated,
as there is no exchange of EMMI between the objects. In this case the objects
are termed as static, having no impact on anything else, except conceivably
within or on themselves. Thinking about integration presupposes lifecycle
issues. When we speak of “having no impact” the implication is there is no
impact during the lifecycle of the activities. An object that is static has
no impact on any other object during its lifecycle. In other words, there is no
interaction with another object, that is, no consequential impact of one object
on another (ever). It is likely that static objects exist in the universe. But then
by definition, static objects are not detectable. If any exist, we would never
know it. Interaction is the correlative influence of two objects on each other.
Static objects are differentiable from active objects. First, active objects are
measurable, and second, active objects are linked causally to other objects.
The object doing something is characterized by doing something. That
something is measurable as the release of (e.g., transmitting, sending, causing something to be taken, or acting as an agent with power to convey)
energy, matter (the condition of having mass), information, or capital wealth
(e.g., money). Collectively, these items are termed the release. If the release is in
some manner taken into another object, the releasing object is said to have
acted on the receiving object. In this initial discussion, the acted on object has
participated (by taking in the release) but not responded to the releasing object.
The acted on object may experience effects ranging from none, to some sort of
internal activity, to destruction of some or all of its functionality due to its
reaction to the release. If the receiving object had no response, then the condition
Engineering Systems Integration
ask questions, gather resources, develop plans, manage “the work,” build the
products or services, deliver the goods, assimilate feedback on the customer’s experiences with the goods, sustain the goods in use, and finally revamp,
replace, or dispose. Soup as integration is a nexus of classes (abstract, social,
and model), all three contributing at the proper time in the proper way to
support the whole throughout its lifecycle. Systems integration is a method
of system science; a method of systems engineering; a method of all disciplines; all fields; and all work.
But it is not science to know how to convert one thing into another or put
two things together or give something a name. The subtleties of integration
are wrapped in connecting things in ways that satisfy the expectations for
the degree of dependency between objects (coupling) and the manner in and
degree to which the objects relate to each other (cohesion). Defining things
and their limits (referred to as granularity) of influence is a significant challenge for integration, as is interpreting the level of utility (referred to as
abstraction of categories or hierarchy of uses of the whole). Both abstraction
and granularity are particularly vexing for integration. The techniques and
formulations of determining abstractions and partitions that are descriptive
of things are not science. Integration as a science is part of a continuum of
activities starting with an object that is doing something, why it is doing it,
and what the consequences of doing it are.
An object that does not interact with another object cannot be integrated,
as there is no exchange of EMMI between the objects. In this case the objects
are termed as static, having no impact on anything else, except conceivably
within or on themselves. Thinking about integration presupposes lifecycle
issues. When we speak of “having no impact” the implication is there is no
impact during the lifecycle of the activities. An object that is static has
no impact on any other object during its lifecycle. In other words, there is no
interaction with another object, that is, no consequential impact of one object
on another (ever). It is likely that static objects exist in the universe. But then
by definition, static objects are not detectable. If any exist, we would never
know it. Interaction is the correlative influence of two objects on each other.
Static objects are differentiable from active objects. First, active objects are
measurable, and second, active objects are linked causally to other objects.
The object doing something is characterized by doing something. That
something is measurable as the release of (e.g., transmitting, sending, causing something to be taken, or acting as an agent with power to convey)
energy, matter (the condition of having mass), information, or capital wealth
(e.g., money). Collectively, these items are termed the release. If the release is in
some manner taken into another object, the releasing object is said to have
acted on the receiving object. In this initial discussion, the acted on object has
participated (by taking in the release) but not responded to the releasing object.
The acted on object may experience effects ranging from none, to some sort of
internal activity, to destruction of some or all of its functionality due to its
reaction to the release. If the receiving object had no response, then the condition