| Major Elements | Definition | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose Analysis | Broadbased study of why system has value | • Rich picture of stakeholder stories • Essential assumptions and constraints |
| Problem Structuring | Translation of interwoven elements of rich picture into tractable systems attributes | • Use-cases • Structured narratives • Scenarios of systems operation • Performance models • Conceptual models |
| Solution Structuring | Creation of candidate solutions that must be widely disparate in technology and degree of problem coverage | • Models of the solution |
| Harmonize | Combine problem and soluton statements into workable system concepts. Perform consistency and completeness checks | • Group of candidate systems |
| Selection/ Abstraction | Select candidate system and move on to acquisition | • Formalized architecture description |
The Aerospace Systems Architecting Method has five major elements, as shown in the top table. It was developed to define a core process model. It's an adaptation of the standard systems engineering process, modified to account for the spiral nature of development, the lack of a manufacturing stage, and the need to accommodate ill-structured aspects. The method has also proved to be an effective pedagogical device for presenting heuristics. For example, a heuristic such as "The Four Whos" (which basically states, "In identifying stakeholders of a system, always ask, 'Who benefits, who pays, who supplies, and who loses?'") is best presented as part of a specific step—in this case, the purpose analysis step—even though it is more widely applicable.