Analysis of systems structural relationships through a DSM-based approach

DSMs and related matrices are commonly used to represent system interfaces, which is closely associated with a need to decompose systems into their elements. However, besides the importance of managing the decomposed elements of systems, the systems engineer should also possess a capability to manage other systems’ relationships. In this paper we are focusing on the DSM capability to represent three fundamental system entities and four structural relationships, as they are defined in the Object-Process Methodology. We argue that DSM is an appropriate tool to facilitate a systematic approach to digital transformation of objects and processes through the different stages of the design process. We use a coffee maker as a case study demonstrating how each entity flows from an abstract environment to a more detailed one following specific structural relationships.