Introduction

The term Enterprise is defined as:

ISO 15704:2019: Human undertaking or venture that has explicit and clearly defined mission, goals, and objectives to offer products or services, or to achieve a desired project outcome or business outcome.

ISO 15704:2000: Enterprise: one or more organizations sharing a definite mission, goals, and objectives to offer an output such as a product or service

"a project or undertaking, especially a bold or complex one." (dictionary)

or

"a business or company." (dictionary)

The enterprise is realized through one or more interacting organizations. Each organization is itself a constituent system and has a separate independence and contribution to the overall system of systems. Michael Porter, in Competitive Advantage, refers to this set of interacting organizations as a 'value system'

See also: SEBoK: Enterprise Systems Engineering

See also: ISO 15288:2023 Section 5.4, System of systems concepts.

The Enterprise (SoS) System Description and the Enterprise (SoS) Architecture Description Framework have been designed with ISO 15704:2019 requirements.

The Enterprise as a System of Systems (SoS) is the system-of-interest of the Enterprise Conceptual Model. This model identifies all of the supporting systems that are essential to ensuring that the Enterprise can achieve its objectives and sustain its future viability.

This document uses the approach outlined in section 5.2 System Concepts in ISO 15288:2023. In particular, the conceptual model is based upon the system structure models in Figures 1 and Figure 2 (Page 12, 13) of ISO 15288:2023. The following picture provides an overview of the Enterprise Conceptual Model that is used within this document.

The SEBoK also focuses on systems of systems.

Each system type identified in the Enterprise Conceptual Model is treated as a system-of-interest by a unique set of stakeholders with a unique set of concerns. These are shown in the following picture: Each of the systems highlighted in blue above have their own concepts document that includes a systems description.

This document provides the concepts and system description for the Enterprise box above.

System descriptions are included for the following types of systems within the Enterprise as a System of Systems (SoS):

• System-of-Interest: Enterprise as a System of Systems (SoS)
• System: Organization
• System: Capability
• System Element: People
• System:  Process
• System: Technology (SoS)
• System: Information Technology System of Systems (SoS)

PDF: System Description: Enterprise as a System of Systems (SoS), Version 0.19, 14-November-2024

The systems identified in the overview picture are shown in the following picture to help understand which of the systems are candidates for Architecture Descriptions (e.g. the Design of the system-of-interest).

These types of systems within the Enterprise as a System of Systems (SoS) are described by a number of Architecture Descriptions. The following diagram highlights the Architecture Description approach taken for a number types of systems within the enterprise.

Many of the concepts related to systems of systems come from the COMPASS Project with a focus on Comprehensive Modelling for Advanced Systems of Systems.