Integration Analysis of Product Decompositions

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This paper describes a methodology for the analysis of product design decompositions. The technique is useful for developing an understanding of the “system engineering” needs which arise because of complex interactions between components of a design. This information can be used to define the product architecture and to organize the development teams. The method involves three steps: 1) decomposition of the system into elements, 2) documentation of the interactions between the elements, and 3) clustering the elements into architectural and team chunks. By using this approach, development teams can better understand the complex interactions within the system, thus simplifying the development process for large and complex projects.