OPTIMIZING GIVEN SYSTEMS vs. DESIGNING OPTIMAL SYSTEMS: THE DE NOVO PROGRAMMING APPROACH

The purpose of “system optimization” cannot be just to improve the performance of a given, pre-configured system (search for efficiency) but rather to find the best system configuration, itself, i.e., design an optimal system (search for effectiveness). System boundaries, especially in socio-economic and engineering systems, are not conveniently given and fixed a priori, but are themselves to be determined in an optimal way. We present theory and methodology of optimal system design (or configuration), as it is embodied in de novo programming. The message is clear and simple: optimizing “badly” configured system is ineffective and wasteful while optimally designed systems hardly need any further “optimization”.