SCENARIO-BASED DESIGN FOR AMORPHOUS SYSTEMS

Designing amorphous systems is difficult. Not only does the design team have to deal with various building blocks, such as hardware, software, service, infrastructure, and policy, but there are communication challenges among team members with different domain-expertise. This research begins with the observation that, at the onset of an amorphous system-oriented project, design teams struggle because they are limited to knowledge of less than 4 W's of the 6 W's (Where, What, Who, When, Why, How) rather than detailed functional or structural specifications. The proposed scenario-based approaches enable design teams to effectively deal with ambiguity and to communicate their ideas among the team as well as with customers and managers through a common language. The framework is based on conventional dfX (Design for X), but new methods such as the Scenario Graph, the Scenario Menu, and Dynamic-Customer Value Chain Analysis (D-CVCA) help design teams through the exploration stage of a new system development. The integrated framework guides the design teams in visualizing scenarios, making decisions, and building a sound business model for an amorphous system.