This book will help readers gain a solid understanding of non-functional requirements inherent in systems design endeavors. It contains essential information for those who design, use and maintain complex engineered systems, including experienced designers, teachers of design, system stakeholders and practicing engineers. Coverage approaches non-functional requirements in a novel way by presenting a framework of four systems concerns into which the 27 major non-functional requirements fall: sustainment, design, adaptation and viability. Within this model, the text proceeds to define each non-functional requirement, to specify how each is treated as an element of the system design process and to develop an associated metric for their evaluation. Systems are designed to meet specific functional needs. Because non-functional requirements are not directly related to tasks that satisfy these proposed needs, designers and stakeholders often fail to recognize the importance of such attributes as availability, survivability, and robustness. This book gives readers the tools and knowledge they need to both recognize the importance of these non-functional requirements and incorporate them in the design process.

It is 5 years since the publication of the seminal paper on “Design Science in Information Systems Research” by Hevner, March, Park, and Ram in MIS Quarterly and the initiation of the Information Technology and Systems department of the Communications of AIS. These events in 2004 are markers in the move of design science to the forefront of information systems research. A suf cient interval has elapsed since then to allow assessment of from where the eld has come and where it should go. Design science research and behavioral science research started as dual tracks when IS was a young eld. By the 1990s, the in ux of behavioral scientists started to dominate the number of design scientists and the eld moved in that direction. By the early 2000s, design people were having dif culty publishing in mainline IS journals and in being tenured in many universities. Yes, an annual Workshop on Information Technology and Systems (WITS) was established in 1991 in conju- tion with the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) and grew each year. But that was the extent of design science recognition. Fortunately, a revival is underway. By 2009, when this foreword was written, the fourth DESRIST c- ference has been held and plans are afoot for the 2010 meeting. Design scientists regained respect and recognition in many venues where they previously had little.

Systems Engineering is gaining importance in the high-tech industry with systems like digital single-lens reflex cameras, medical imaging scanners, and industrial production systems. Such systems require new methods that can handle uncertainty in the early phases of development, that systems engineering can provide. This book offers a toolbox approach by presenting the tools and illustrating their application with examples. This results in an emphasis on the design of systems, more than on analysis and classical systems engineering. The book is useful for those who need an introduction to system design and engineering, and those who work with system engineers, designers and architects.

As real-time and integrated systems become increasingly sophisticated, issues related to development life cycles, non-recurring engineering costs, and poor synergy between development teams will arise. The Handbook of Research on Embedded Systems Design provides insights from the computer science community on integrated systems research projects taking place in the European region. This premier references work takes a look at the diverse range of design principles covered by these projects, from specification at high abstraction levels using standards such as UML and related profiles to intermediate design phases. This work will be invaluable to designers of embedded software, academicians, students, practitioners, professionals, and researchers working in the computer science industry.