In our pursuit of foundational content for our education program with MIT aimed at professionals within the Japanese industry, we have identified the book, System Architecture: Strategy and Product Development for Complex Systems, to be the most suitable choice in terms of quality and relevance. However, there are certain points in the original book that may be difficult for Japanese speakers to understand. Therefore I have translated the entire text and published this book to facilitate a deeper and more efficient understanding of the content for Japanese speakers.
 
This book is an outstanding attempt to establish decision making in system architecture, which is based on sense and individual abilities, as an academic field, as well as an excellent (but challenging) compilation of content that can be understood by young engineers. The concept of system architecture evolved from an attempt to systematize practitioners' knowledge and issues related to the development of new architectures. This book introduces the analysis and methodology of system architecture and develops the science surrounding it. A system consists of two or more elements that interact with each other. This book focuses on the emergence, which is when various functions come together to create a coherent whole, and the resulting functions exceed the sum of the functions of the individual elements. It presents a methodology for creating complex systems by providing clear definitions for abstract concepts such as system elements, interactions, function, concept, and architecture. This methodology ranges from analyzing the interests surrounding complex systems, analyzing and prioritizing the needs of stakeholders, analyzing the components of the system, as well as generating new ideas, such as conceptualizing the design of the system, defining the role of the system architect, how to define and deal with complexity, and selecting the algorithm to be used in system architecture decisions. Moreover, the book incorporates the experiences of the original authors, who were involved in the early stages of developing various complex systems, and includes case studies based on the experiences of system architects working in various fields. Based on the graduate coursework taught by Professor Crawley at MIT over the past 15 years, which has educated various leaders, this book offers valuable insights not only into understanding current systems operations, but also into effectively managing technical organizations.
 

(Written by HIEKATA Kazuo, Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences / 2023)

Related Info

Original Book:
System Architecture: Strategy and Product Development for Complex Systems  (Pearson　2015)
Authors: Edward Crawley / Bruce Cameron / Daniel Selva
https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/systems-architecture-strategy-and-product-development-for-complex-systems/P200000003288/9780133975345

Book Introduction:
B. Cameron “System Architecture, a new book by Bruce Cameron” (MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT　11 Oct. 2015)
https://exec.mit.edu/s/blog-post/system-architecture-a-new-book-by-bruce-cameron-MCX4BJDRHOYZBYRHWMMTLGN6MOEI
 
Related Article:
“Bruce Cameron” (MIT INDUSTRIAL LIASON PROGRAM)
https://ilp.mit.edu/read/BruceCameron
 
“Bruce Cameron - Introduction to System Architecture - 1 of 5” (MIT Corporate Relations｜YouTube　10 Mar. 2023)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wm0mhEbVwI

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