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MODULARITY, ROBUSTNESS, AND CHANGE PROPAGATION: A MULTIFACETED RELATION

Part of: Systems Engineering and Design

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2020

S. A. Piccolo ,
S. Lehmann  and
A. M. Maier
S. A. Piccolo*
Affiliation:
DTU-Technical University of Denmark
S. Lehmann
Affiliation:
DTU-Technical University of Denmark
A. M. Maier
Affiliation:
DTU-Technical University of Denmark
*
*seanpiccolo@gmail.com

Abstract

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Increased system robustness is one of the promises of modularity. However, research on the topic has provided conflicting findings. By generating more than 2000 system architectures, this paper shows that the relation between modularity and robustness is multifaceted: Modularity decreases topological robustness, increases robustness to change propagation, and provides economic benefits. Results here confirm the importance of modularity, enable reconciliation of opposing findings from prior research, and guides researchers and practitioners in the selection of appropriate robustness measures.

Keywords

modularityrobustnesscomplex systemsnetwork approachesdesign structure matrix (DSM)
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society: DESIGN Conference , Volume 1 , May 2020 , pp. 2335 - 2344
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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