System Models
A collection of modelling artefacts used to describe system structure, behaviour, requirements, decision logic and verification.
I use different architectural artifacts to answer different questions about a system.
What the system is
What the system contains
How it is verified
How work flows through it
How does it behave?
How does it decide what to do?
How does information move between regulated actors and repositories?
If you want to know...
Look at...
Functional Architecture
Requirement Tree
V-Model
BPMN / Flowchart
Behaviour Model / State Model
Decision Architecture & System Logic
Information Flow / Regulated Systems
Functional Architecture
Translate user and business needs into structured system components and responsibilities.
Artifacts
Functional Architecture Diagrams
System Boundaries
Component Maps
System Decomposition
Purpose: Break a complex problem into manageable parts.
Artifacts:
Requirement Trees
Functional Decomposition
Risk Breakdown
Verification
& Validation
Purpose: How we prove the system works.
Artifacts:
V-Models
Verification Mapping
Validation Frameworks
Acceptance Criteria
Process Modelling
Purpose: How activities and decisions flow through a system.
Artifacts:
BPMN
Flowcharts
Decision Trees
Information Flow / Regulated Systems
Purpose: How information moves between actors, systems, permissions, and regulated repositories.
Artifacts:
Information Flow Diagrams
Data Exchange Maps
Authorization Flows
Cross-organization System Maps
Behaviour Model / State Model
I define how systems react to different inputs, states, and environmental conditions.
Artifacts
State Models
Behaviour Diagrams
Decision Logic Models
Cognitive Architectures
Decision Architecture & System Logic
I define how systems evaluate signals, select responses, coordinate subsystems, and enforce operational constraints.
Artifacts
Decision Architectures
Functional Logic Models
Control Flow Structures
Module Interaction Diagrams
Processing Pipelines
Designing systems that remain usable under real human constraints.