COIM: An object-process based method for analyzing architectures of complex, interconnected, large-scale socio-technical systems

There is growing evidence of the relevance of human behavioral factors in the success of development of new products, processes and services. The evidence is even clearer when the forces affecting the development and evolution of longlived, large, and open complex socio-technical systems are researched. Methods that study the architecture of such types of systems can help scholars and practitioners to better understand, manage, and develop socio-technical systems. We propose an approach and a method to address these needs that is grounded in the theory of systems architecture and builds on the strengths of Object Process Methodology (OPM) and the process for representing Complex Large-scale Interconnected Open Socio-technical (CLIOS) systems. We do so by integrating these methods into the CLIOS-OPM Integrated Method (COIM). COIM is conducive to studying a system’s architecture and its evolution, as it is enhanced by a set of qualitative methods for answering questions about the reasons (why) and process (how) of change in human-made systems over time.