Selecting a suitable system architecture for testing and integration

A system architecture is selected in the early design phases of a product. A trade-off is made between the most important architectural views during this selection process. The required system functionality is realized in an architecture which is maintainable, extendible, manufacturable, testable and integratable. This work investigates how an architecture can be selected, such that it is testable and integratable. The elements of an architecture which is suitable for testing and integration are introduced first. These elements are: components, interfaces between components and a layering. The division of the system into components determines how the system can be integrated and how many integration steps are required. Next to that, not all components need to be selected for system level integration and testing. Some, low-risk, components are integrated and tested on a lower level or not tested at all. The selection of components to be considered for integration and testing also influences which interfaces are considered. The selection of an interface infrastructure influences integration and testing, next to the interfaces which result from component and interface selection. The interface infrastructure can reduce or increase the number of interfaces in the system. An interface infrastructure could also introduce that specific connectors need to be developed resulting in additional risk and more required testing. And finally, a layering defines how the system, consisting of components and interfaces, is clustered. This layering reduces the complexity of the system and therefore the complexity of the integration and test plan. The layering for integration and testing can be defined fairly late in the development process just before integration and testing begins. Next to that, the layering for integration and testing can be different than the normal organizational or functional layerings of a system. More layerings can be defined and used next to each other. Guidelines and examples of suitable selections of components, interface infrastructure and layerings will be given in the presentation.