Enterprise Decision-Making in System-of-Systems Considering Different Levels of Centralized Management

Abstract

Systems are increasingly deployed in environments where they interact with other systems to deliver enhanced and integrated capabilities. Together, these systems are referred to as system-of-systems. While the benefits of a system-of-systems can lie in the emergent behavior that the systems produce together, the challenges that arise when developing and evolving a system-of-systems are complex. Each constituent system - of which the system-of-systems is composed - may be at a different stage in its lifecycle and owned or managed by a separate enterprise. These enterprises must make independent decisions about the acquisition, development, or use of their systems. In some cases, a central enterprise may hold decision-making authority over multiple constituent systems, but this is not always the case. This paper examines the role of multiple enterprises in decision-making within a system-of-systems, identifies critical gaps, and synthesizes these insights to outline a direction towards a system-of-systems multi-enterprise collaboration.