Rationale

So why does archie exist? Here are some motivators:

• A picture's worth a thousand words: diagrams are good for conveying system design.
• Hand-drawing diagrams is distracting: who wants to reposition boxes and lines?
• Don't try to say too much: a complex system is, well, complex. So it's better to have multiple diagrams (or views) of the same system.
• Consistency problem: changes, like renaming a component, shouldn't require manual updates in loads of diagrams

The CAD analogy

Mechanical engineers have Computer Aided Design (CAD) in their toolkit.

Physical parts are designed in a modelling software, and technical drawings can be produced for different parts. Updating the diameter of a hole? No problem, the new technical drawings will reflect that, wherever it appears.

Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) is the systems equivalent!

Walkthrough

Are you sold?

Checkout the Walkthrough to see it in action!