Development of a novel matrix-based methodology for system engineering: A case study

Developing a structured method for analyzing various aspects of a system requires a novel methodology. This study is aimed at developing such as methodology through combining two major matrix methods, namely, Design Structure Matrix (DSM) and Interface Structure Matrix (ISM). Through this paper, a business process modeling method is applied to turn a real work project to a process model. Then that process model is written in two various matrix forms of DSM and ISM. These two matrices are analyzed by two types of algorithm for extracting activity levels and sub-processes. In the end, a Mixed Matrix Model (MMM) is built upon these activity levels and sub-processes, which can be used as a framework for the engineering of real-world systems.