Structure Context Complexity Organization

Structure, Context, Complexity, Organization: Physical Aspects Of Information And Value

Using information theory the book defines quantitative measures for structure and textural information and relates them to thermodynamic negentropy. Other concepts like that of algorithmic information can be applied and used to define complexity and organization. Also defined are the physical value concepts, and how these relate to each other using ideas from ecology and economics; it thus formulates a physical theory which could serve as a basis for a dialogue between physicists, economists and ecologists.

Structure, Context Complexity, Organization

Structural Complexity Management

Product design is characterized by a steady increase in complexity. The main focus of this book is a structural approach on complexity management. This means, system structures are considered in order to address the challenge of complexity in all aspects of product design. Structures arise from the complex dependencies of system elements. Thus, the identification of system structures provides access to the understanding of system behavior in practical applications. The book presents a methodology that enables the analysis, control and optimization of complex structures, and the applicability of domain-spanning problems. The methodology allows significant improvements on handling system complexity by creating improved system understanding on the one hand and optimizing product design that is robust for system adaptations on the other hand. Developers can thereby enhance project coordination and improve communication between team members and as a result shorten development time. The practical application of the methodology is described by means of two detailed examples.