Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKSSystems are dynamic, constantly evolving with additional functionality and requirements. As they grow, however, they can become less efficient and more difficult to maintain. To counteract this, a longer-term strategy must be put in place to sustainably guide the evolution and safety of systems. This includes the development of a successful data management approach.
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System Evaluation and Engineering
Challenge: Managing System Complexity
- As a system grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage its complexity.
- There is a risk that the interdependencies within the system will become too difficult to manage, affecting the ability to integrate new components and maintain the existing configuration.
- Additionally, systems that provide safety-relevant services must always comply with established standards during the development process.
- If these issues are not addressed, the system will gradually become ineffective, negatively impacting an organization's performance.
Need: System Restructuring
- In addition to carefully considering how to integrate new functionality into a system, it is ultimately necessary to restructure it to restore its cohesiveness.
- A successful redesign requires a thorough evaluation and understanding of the current components, as well as a clear engineering vision for the new structure. This includes controlling, assessing, and potentially adapting the specific system requirements to reflect the new circumstances. This is particularly important for safety-critical systems.
- Without taking these factors into account, restructuring efforts may not pay off in the end.
Solution: Architectural Analysis and Strategy
There are two main phases to a successful system redesign. First, the current system architecture and structure must be analyzed to understand current bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Second, stakeholders must align their strategic vision for the system, including potential directions in which the system may evolve. With these two key pieces of information, the system can then be redesigned in the most beneficial way. When focusing on safety-relevant software systems, choosing the right development processes to support their further development is also crucial.