INO Seminar

Seminar by Philipp Türtscher, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien.

The Emergence of Architecture: Coordination across Boundaries in the ATLAS Experiment at CERN

Abstract:

Proponents of modularity suggest that the development of nearly decomposable systems can be coordinated by pre-specifying their architecture(s); i.e., the coordination of interdependent components is embedded in clearly defined interface specifications. Such an approach, I suggest, begs a more fundamental question – What are the origins of architecture(s)? This question, I believe, has largely been neglected by the extant literature. To shed light on this question, I studied the development of ATLAS, a complex technological system that is being developed at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). My study suggests that the emergence of technological architecture(s) is characterized by an ongoing process of negotiations in which diverse actors justify and explain their design rationales. The ‘interlaced knowledge’ resulting from this process provides a deeper understanding and appreciation of the requirements posed by other components. As a consequence, the multiple groups are able to anticipate latent interdependencies and to heedfully interrelate with one another.