Draft:System of Interest
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. 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.
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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.
Definitions
[edit]The concept has two distinct but complementary definitions depending on the discipline:
Engineering definition
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]Boundary definition
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- Systems engineering
- System lifecycle
- ISO/IEC 15288
- System of systems
- Systems science
- Systems philosophy
- General systems theory
External links
[edit]- Systems Philosophy — philosophical foundations for understanding systems and their boundaries
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Systems and software engineering — System life cycle processes". ISO/IEC/IEEE. 2023.
- ^ a b c "System-of-Interest (glossary)". SEBoK. Stevens Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ Bertalanffy, Ludwig von (1968). General System Theory: Foundations, Development, Applications. New York: George Braziller. ISBN 978-0-8076-0453-3.
- ^ "1.3.1 System Boundary and the System of Interest". INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. 2023. ISBN 978-1-119-81429-0.
- ^ "About Systems Philosophy". Systems Philosophy. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ^ "Systems and software engineering — Software life cycle processes". ISO/IEC/IEEE. 2017.