A quantitative approach to analysis of a system of systems operational boundaries

This paper presents a structural approach to analysis of the operational boundaries of a System of Systems (SoS). As each SoS has a goal, different decision makers of the SoS have distinct assessments of the boundaries of these goals. Therefore, it is imperative to take into consideration all the known perspectives of decision makers in order to reach a more inclusive understanding of the goals and satisficing decision about the direction of the SoS. The approach builds on a previously recognized method of defining a SoS´ operational boundaries, utilizing the minimum and maximum spanning trees of a connected weighted SoS to represent respectively its lower and upper operational boundaries. An integral part of the new approach is a quantitative model, which allows for classification of the current state of the SoS from the points of view of the involved decision makers and advises them on the possible ways to influence the SoS behaviour.