Draft:System of Interest
Artifact of systems engineering
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A system of interest (SOI) is a systems engineering concept that identifies the specific system whose life cycle is under consideration in a given context.[1] The term establishes the boundary between what is being engineered, analyzed, or observed and its surrounding environment, making it a foundational concept for defining the scope of systems engineering activities.
 | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 7 weeks or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 2,865 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
Definitions
The concept has two distinct but complementary definitions depending on the discipline:
Engineering definition
In systems engineering, the system of interest is "the system whose life cycle is under consideration."[1] This definition, established in ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, focuses on engineered systems undergoing formal life cycle management. The SOI may encompass both operational and enabling systems, and its identification is a prerequisite for applying the standard's life cycle processes.[2]
Systems science definition
In systems science, the system of interest is "the system of interest to an observer."[3] This broader perspective, rooted in Ludwig von Bertalanffy's general systems theory, applies to any system—natural, social, or engineered—that an observer designates as worthy of study.[2]
Role in systems engineering
Boundary definition
Identifying the system of interest establishes the system boundary—the demarcation between the system and its external environment.[4] This boundary determines:
- Which system elements (hardware, software, data, humans, processes, services, procedures, facilities, and materials) are part of the system[1]
- Which external systems interact with the SOI
- The scope of engineering and management activities
Relationship to other systems
Once the SOI is identified, several related system categories become relevant:
- Enabling systems — systems that support the SOI during its life cycle (e.g., manufacturing facilities, training systems, maintenance systems) but are not part of the SOI itself[1]
- System of systems — a larger system in which the SOI operates as a constituent system, interacting with other constituent systems to achieve emergent capabilities[1]
- System elements — the components, subsystems, and parts that compose the SOI[1]
- External environment — everything outside the system boundary that can influence or be influenced by the SOI
Context dependence
The designation of a system of interest is context-dependent: the same physical entity may be the SOI in one project and an enabling system or external system in another.[2] For example, a satellite is the SOI for the spacecraft engineering team, but merely one element of a larger system of systems for the satellite communication network operator. This context dependence makes SOI a relative rather than absolute designation.
Philosophical foundations
Systems philosophy provides the epistemological framework for understanding what can be known about a system of interest and how its boundaries relate to the observer's perspective.[5] While systems engineering defines the SOI operationally, systems philosophy examines the deeper questions of how systems are conceptualized, what constitutes a meaningful boundary, and how the observer's worldview shapes the identification and interpretation of the system.
Standards
The system of interest concept appears in several international standards:
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023 — Systems and software engineering — System life cycle processes, where SOI is a defined term used throughout the standard[1]
- ISO/IEC 12207:2017 — Systems and software engineering — Software life cycle processes, which uses the same conceptual framework[6]
See also
External links
- Systems Philosophy — philosophical foundations for understanding systems and their boundaries