Large-scale Complex IT Systems

TL;DR

This paper discusses the inherent complexity of large-scale 'systems of systems' and argues that current software engineering methods are insufficient, proposing a research agenda to address these challenges in socio-technical contexts.

Contribution

It highlights fundamental limitations of existing methods for large-scale complex systems and proposes a new research and education agenda emphasizing socio-technical integration.

Findings

Current methods cannot scale to large complex systems

Identifies major challenges in socio-technical integration

Proposes a research agenda for future development

Abstract

This paper explores the issues around the construction of large-scale complex systems which are built as 'systems of systems' and suggests that there are fundamental reasons, derived from the inherent complexity in these systems, why our current software engineering methods and techniques cannot be scaled up to cope with the engineering challenges of constructing such systems. It then goes on to propose a research and education agenda for software engineering that identifies the major challenges and issues in the development of large-scale complex, software-intensive systems. Central to this is the notion that we cannot separate software from the socio-technical environment in which it is used.