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Title: The Art of Systems Architecting, Second Edition by Mark W. Maier, Eberhardt Rechtin ISBN: 0-8493-0440-7 Publisher: CRC Press Pub. Date: 28 June, 2000 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $89.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (6 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Deep
Comment: This book is probably the most abstract one on my Software Architecture bookshelf right now. Each page in this book takes twice as long to read as a page from any of my other, more technical architecture books. Another book might say "Use UML, everyone else does"; while this book says "Given a particular model set and language, it will be easy to describe some types of systems and awkward to describe others [...]".
Time spent reading this book is a good investment in my opinion, but only if you read it at a moderate pace and reflect. The listing and discussion of heuristics is especially valuable. For example, "The greatest leverage in architecting is at the interfaces" is a good heuristic and the book has an appendix full of them. Not only that, this book offers good discussions of what each heuristic means and why it applies.
Rating: 5
Summary: Defining Architecting
Comment: Review: This is a great overview of the subject of systems architecture. It is already highly regarded in the systems engineering community. It is rich in useful detail. It gives a comprehensive historical view of the discipline. I found a large number of specific insights about the nature of architecture as opposed to engineering. The collection of over 180 heuristics is an interesting framework for the text. I can highly recommend it as a study to both novices and seasoned professionals. The guest chapters on political process and systems architecting (Brenda Forman), and The Professionalization of Systems Architecting (Elliot Axelbrand) are both valuable additions to the immense vocabulary of the authors.
If I have one quibble it is that the book correctly insists on quantification of performance attributes as the only proper basis for architecture, certification, and engineering. But it so often denies the measurability of so called 'soft' values - and remarkably includes things like 'safety', and 'environmental impact' in that category. I fear that setting too high a standard for quantification leaves us with mere ambiguous words. This of course is a widespread problem. I disagree, and will take up the discussion with the authors and the community - as I already have done. In addition I find a complete lack of examples, or discussion, about how 'multiple performance and cost attributes' can be used by the architectural level to understand the architectural problem. There are far too many non-quantified models, and far too little insight as to how a systems architect would deal with the quantified attribute requirements of a system. Maybe in the 3rd Edition?
[email protected], August 24 2002.
Rating: 4
Summary: A great start - not the final word
Comment: This is a good book. It has some brilliant insights. It also has some mundane material. It's the only book on SYSTEMS architecture and should be read by all architects as well as systems engineers. Software engineers could learn from it too.
As a start on describing systems architecture (as opposed to technical or business architectures such as software, hardware, security, information, network, etc.) it does a superb job. What I would like to see is more. I sense from the books footnotes that some material from the first edition has been elided. A third edition should include recent journal articles viewpoints and any material the editor cut from the first edition.
There are many useful insights and a good overview of systems architecture. The definition of systems architecture was good.
I found no significant errors although some of the material included was not as relevant as some that was omitted. Newer material that has been published in journals needs to be included.
I would like to see a better relationship drawn with systems engineering, business strategy, six sigma techniques, etc. Some of the material included may have some architectural significance but that was lost in describing systems engineering and quality approaches rather than contrasting and comparing them with SA. Perhaps a systems engineering companion book to be read first could handle this sort of material.
The heuristics were excellent but incomplete. This is not a fault of the author but the fact that the field is new and just being documented.
The examples used were those available. I would like to see others but many people will not let that information out for use. Certainly an example of business as a system and noting how systems architecture relates to business strategy would be a useful addition.
Some minor glitches such as not defining acronyms before use were annoying but did not impede learning.
I would like to see appendices with summaries of the standards referenced. I would like to know a lot more about the schools, curricula, and courses relating to SA that were mentioned.
The research seems incomplete. The sources used were used well but there are others that did not get used. Some used did not seem to be as pertinent. I wonder if the editor gave the authors a deadline so they could publish the second edition.
This is a good book. It can be better. Hopefully a third edition will fill in and extend the coverage, provide additional examples and more subject matter for reference in the appendices.
If you have any interest in systems you should read this book. It would be 5 stars except that it could be improved. Since there is no other competing book it is infinitely better than the alternatives. Other books drop down an implementation level and do technical or business architectures even though they label the book as systems architecture. Those would make good follow on reading for domain and discipline engineers but all engineers should read this book.
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Title: An Introduction to General Systems Thinking by Gerald M. Weinberg ISBN: 0932633498 Publisher: Dorset House Pub. Date: 15 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $33.95 |
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Title: Systems Architecting of Organizations: Why Eagles Can't Swim by Eberhardt Rechtin ISBN: 0849381401 Publisher: CRC Press Pub. Date: 27 July, 1999 List Price(USD): $64.95 |
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Title: Managing the Information Technology Resource: Leadership in the Information Age by Jerry N. Luftman ISBN: 0130351261 Publisher: Prentice Hall Pub. Date: 28 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $125.00 |
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Title: Competing in the Information Age: Align in the Sand by Jerry N. Luftman ISBN: 0195159535 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: August, 2003 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: Systems Engineering and Analysis (3rd Edition) by Benjamin S. Blanchard, Wolter J. Fabrycky ISBN: 0131350471 Publisher: Prentice Hall Pub. Date: 09 January, 1998 List Price(USD): $115.00 |
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