Introduction to System Design and Architecture — Onload Code

Introduction

System design is the process of understanding the overall requirements of a system, including architecture, modules, interfaces, and design. It encompasses everything from discussing system requirements to product development. System development modifies the processes, applications, and methods used to develop a system, requiring a systematic approach to managing requirements and design methodology. System design can be classified into logical design and physical design. The logical design represents the abstract data flow, while the physical design represents the input and output processes of the system.

Systems architecture is the general discipline of manipulating objects called “systems” to support the logic of the structural properties of these objects.

Objectives of System Design

The objective of the system design process is to provide detailed data and information about the system and its components so they can be implemented according to the architectural entities defined by the system architecture models and ideas.

Benefits of System Design

System design specializes in developing excellent solutions while saving time and labor. It helps create plans for information systems, solving internal problems, increasing efficiency, and expanding opportunities. It is the foundation of any business, contributing significantly to the success of desired results and making work easier and simpler.

Elements of System Design

Architecture

The architecture is the conceptual model that defines the structure, behavior, and more ideas of a system. It also streams notes to illustrate architecture.

Modules

These are the components that handle one specific function of a system. The system is composed of a combination of modules.

Components

Components provide a specific function or set of related functions. They are made up of modules.

Interface

The interface is the shared boundary between system components where they share and exchange information.

Data

Data encompasses information and the management of data flow.

The Seven Stages of the System Design Process

1. Planning

This first stage identifies whether a new system is needed to achieve a business’s strategic objectives. The purpose is to find the scope of the problem and determine solutions, considering resources, costs, time, benefits, and other items.

2. Systems Analysis and Requirements

In this stage, businesses address the origin of their problem or need for change. Possible solutions are proposed and analyzed to identify the best fit for the project’s goals. System analysis determines what a business needs, how it can be met, who is responsible for each part of the project, and the expected timeline.

3. System Design

This phase describes the specifications, features, and operations required to meet the functional requirements of the proposed system. End-users discuss and determine their specific business information needs. Essential components, structure, configuration, and operational procedures are considered to achieve system objectives.

4. Development

At this stage, actual work begins as programmers, network engineers, and database developers start the main tasks of the project. Using flow charts ensures proper organization. The development phase marks the end of the initial process and the beginning of production, characterized by inclusion and modification.

5. Integration and Testing

Systems integration and testing determine if the proposed design meets business objectives. Quality Assurance (QA) professionals perform tests to check for errors and interactions. Authentication and validation ensure the successful completion of the program.

6. Activation

During activation, the majority of the code is written, and the newly developed system is installed. This step leads the project to production by moving data and components from the old system to the new one. Both system analysts and end-users see the realization of the project as changes are implemented.

7. Operation and Maintenance

The final stage includes maintenance and necessary updates. End-users can enhance performance, add new capabilities, or meet additional needs.

Architectural Design

The architectural design focuses on understanding how a system should be organized and designing the overall structure of that system. It can be considered the first stage in the software design process. There is a critical link between design and requirements engineering because it identifies the key structural components of a system and the relationships between them. The architectural design process’s output is an architectural model that describes how the system has been organized as a group of communication components.

It is generally accepted that care should be taken to establish overall system architecture early in the development process. Improvements in architecture are generally not successful, while redesigning components in response to changes is relatively easy. Redesigning system architecture, however, can be costly.

Practically, there is significant overlap between the requirements engineering and architectural design processes. A system specification typically includes some design information, which is realistic for small systems. Architectural disassembly is usually required to formulate and organize specifications. Therefore, as part of the requirements engineering process, you can propose abstract system architecture that combines system functions or components with large-scale components or subsystems. This decomposition can then be used to discuss system requirements and features with stakeholders.

Levels of Software Architecture

Software architecture can be designed on two abstract levels, as identified by Somerville:

Small Architecture

Small Architecture concerns the architecture of individual programs. At this level, we focus on how a single program decomposes into components.

Large Architecture

Large Architecture focuses on the architecture of complex enterprise systems that include other systems, programs, and program components. These enterprise systems are distributed across different computers, owned and managed by different companies.

Advantages of Designing and Documenting Software Architecture

1. Communication with Stakeholders

Architecture provides a high-level presentation of the system that can be discussed by different stakeholders.

2. Systems Analysis

Some analysis is needed to explain system architecture in the early stages of development. Architectural design decisions profoundly affect whether a system can meet critical requirements such as performance, reliability, and maintainability.

3. Large-Scale Reuse

A model of system architecture is a compact, manageable description of how a system is organized and how components interact. Similar needs often lead to reusable system architectures.

Informal Block Diagrams and Architectural Models

People with different disciplines involved in the system development process can readily understand architectural models. However, informal block diagrams may not adequately represent architecture as they lack details about relationships among components and externally visible properties.

Uses of Architectural Models

1. Communication and Planning

A high-level architectural view of a system is useful for communication with stakeholders and project planning. It identifies key components for development planning.

2. Documentation

Documenting architecture that has been designed helps produce a complete system model, showing different components, interfaces, and connections.

Software Design vs. Software Architecture

Software design provides developers with everything needed to develop stable software that implements the required functionality, including specifications for services, components, integrations, data models, and algorithms. Software architecture ensures design aligns with business and technological strategies, focusing on compliance, technical standards, and operational efficiency.

Relationship Between Software Architecture and Design

Software architecture presents the structure of a system and hides execution details, focusing on interactions between system elements. Software design explores in-depth details about system implementation, including data structures and algorithms. Architectural and design requirements often overlap, making it sensible to combine them for a comprehensive approach.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading this article on the introduction and principles of system design and architecture.

Originally published at https://onloadcode.com on December 7, 2020.