Module 1
Architecture Purpose, Concerns and Viewpoints
- Architecture in the system lifecycle
- Stakeholder concerns and architecture decisions
- Context, scenarios and architecture drivers
- Viewpoints, views, principles and rationale
Architecture Flagship Programme
System Architecture, Functional Analysis and Trade Studies
Translate system purpose and requirements into coherent architectures, interfaces and evidence-based design choices.
Course overview
Develop architectures that make functions, allocations, interfaces and trade-offs explicit.
System Architecture, Functional Analysis and Trade Studies develops the ability to structure complex systems and make defensible architectural choices.
Participants move from mission and requirements through functional analysis, logical and physical architecture, allocation, interface definition and alternative evaluation. They learn to use viewpoints, decision criteria and trade studies to expose consequences and maintain architectural rationale.
The course emphasises traceability and technical judgement so architecture becomes a decision framework for multidisciplinary development rather than a set of disconnected diagrams.
Learning outcomes
What participants will be able to do.
By the end of the course, participants should be able to:
- Explain the role of architecture in system definition and lifecycle decision-making.
- Derive functional views from mission, scenarios, needs and requirements.
- Develop logical architecture and allocate functions, requirements and performance.
- Develop physical architecture concepts and identify critical interfaces.
- Define architecture viewpoints appropriate to stakeholder concerns and decisions.
- Use trade-study methods to compare alternatives using value, cost, risk and performance criteria.
- Assess architecture consistency, feasibility, risks and change impacts.
- Document architectural decisions, rationale and traceability for technical reviews.
Who should attend
Designed for professionals who contribute to complex-system decisions and delivery.
- Systems architects and systems engineers.
- Lead engineers and multidisciplinary design-team members.
- Technical project and programme leaders.
- Requirements, integration and verification professionals.
- Professionals responsible for concept selection or engineering trade decisions.
Prerequisites
Professionally relevant and application-focused.
Participants should understand basic systems engineering and requirements concepts or have equivalent project/engineering experience.
Course structure
A five-module systems engineering learning journey.
The sequence develops understanding, application and practical engineering outputs progressively across five connected Modules.
Module 2
Functional Analysis and Logical Architecture
- Mission and functional analysis
- Functional decomposition and behaviour
- Logical components and functional flows
- Allocation of requirements and performance
Module 3
Physical Architecture, Allocation and Interfaces
- Physical solution concepts
- Function-to-physical allocation
- Internal and external interfaces
- Interface control and cross-discipline integration
Module 4
Alternatives, Trade Studies and System Analysis
- Generating viable architecture alternatives
- Evaluation criteria, weighting and value measures
- Trade-space analysis and sensitivity
- Risk, uncertainty and decision robustness
Module 5
Architecture Evaluation, Baselines and Technical Reviews
- Architecture consistency and traceability
- Decision records and rationale
- Architecture baselines and change impact
- Technical review evidence and integrated case decision
Learning experience
Apply engineering concepts—not simply remember terminology.
Frame
Identify architecture drivers
Translate mission, concerns and constraints into the decisions architecture must support.
Structure
Build functional and physical views
Develop coherent logical structures, allocations and interface definitions.
Compare
Run disciplined trade studies
Use criteria, value, risk and sensitivity to compare alternatives.
Defend
Record decision rationale
Create traceable evidence for technical reviews and future change.
Transfer
Adapt the architecture method
Connect the workflow to participants’ products, programmes and modelling environments.
Completion requirements
Demonstrate participation, application and professional judgement.
- Participate in functional-analysis and architecture workshops.
- Develop architecture views and interface definitions for the integrated case.
- Complete a structured trade study and decision rationale.
- Participate in the final architecture review and application planning.
Participant outputs
Leave with practical systems engineering artefacts.
- Architecture drivers and viewpoint map.
- Functional architecture model.
- Physical architecture concept and allocation view.
- Interface definition/control summary.
- Trade-study matrix with sensitivity considerations.
- Architecture decision record and review checklist.
Delivery options
Choose the format that fits your people and engineering environment.
Instructor-led
Live Classroom
Face-to-face delivery with facilitated discussion, system cases, engineering workshops, technical reviews and immediate feedback.
Instructor-led
Live Virtual Classroom
Interactive online delivery using collaborative workspaces, modelling activities, breakout analysis and guided application.
Flexible
Blended Learning
A structured combination of preparation, live sessions, applied assignments, engineering artefacts and follow-up application.
Organisation-specific
Corporate and In-Company
Tailored delivery aligned with organisational lifecycle processes, standards, systems, engineering roles, models and capability priorities.
Frequently asked questions
Course information and participation.
Is this course tool-specific?
No. The focus is on architecture reasoning, representations and decision evidence. Corporate delivery may incorporate the organisation’s modelling tool where feasible.
Does the course cover functional analysis?
Yes. Participants derive functions from mission and scenarios, structure functional logic and use it to inform logical and physical architecture.
Will we conduct a trade study?
Yes. A structured alternative-evaluation exercise is a central course output.
How does this course relate to MBSE?
The methods are compatible with model-based practice and provide architectural reasoning that can be represented in an MBSE environment.
Can the course use our architecture framework?
Yes. Corporate delivery can align viewpoints, review gates and artefacts with an organisation’s architecture framework and governance.
Take the next step
Strengthen architectural judgement and make design trade-offs transparent and defensible.
Discuss public delivery, a corporate cohort or a tailored programme aligned with your organisation’s systems, lifecycle environment and engineering capability priorities.