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An open system can be defined as a system that employs modular design, uses widely supported and consensus-based standards for its key interfaces, and has been subjected to successful validation and verification tests to ensure the openness of its key interfaces (Open Systems Joint Task Force [OSJTFGuide], 2004). These consensus-based standards are sometimes called open standards. Open Standards are standards that are widely used, consensus based, published and maintained by recognized industry standards organizations (OSJTFGuide, 2004).
Systems are products of environments, and an open system environment is conducive to producing an open system. An Open Systems Environment (OSE) has been described as a comprehensive set of interfaces, services, and supporting formats, plus aspects of interoperability of application, as specified by Information Technology (IT) standards and profiles. An OSE enables information systems to be developed, operated, and maintained independent of application-specific technical solutions or vendor products.
There are three basic questions one should keep in mind when developing an instrument to measure the degree of openness of a particular system architecture, design or implementation:
- 1.
What is the lowest level of significant “openness”, both within the system and externally with other systems? These are key factors in determining technical openness. Another factor to consider is how far down in the system, open standards will benefit the company and its enterprise ecosystem, such as its supply chain?
- 2.
What is the lowest level of the system that could reasonably lend itself to separate business contracting or other steps to foster competition? This is an important factor in determining business openness.
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What is the lowest level of the system that depends on evolving software/system requirements? In other words, identify those portions that are frequently upgraded/updated, particularly as mission requirements evolve or technology changes. This is a key concern in determining both technical and business openness.
The aforementioned definition of an open system environment focusses solely on the technical part of the environment. But environments also include the organisation producing the system and the people making up the organisation. Therefore, a system architecture will embody the more measurable technical requirements (such as design, implementation, etc.), but these technical requirements are sometimes modulated by the culture of the organisation and the people producing the system. This co-mingling of the easily measurable technical aspects of a system with the more difficult, and probably more important, to measure cultural aspects is captured by this definition of an open architecture: “a key enabler for open architecture is the adoption of an open business model, which requires doing business transparently to leverage the collaborative innovation of numerous participants across the enterprise” (U.S. DoD: Open Systems Architecture Contract Guidebook [ContractGuidebook], 2013). The degree of openness of the business model will be facilitated by the degree of openness of the organisational culture.
In this paper, we expand the discussion and factors to include, not just the technical elements of system but also, the factors that are important to producing a system (or an open system) that are not seriously considered in open system technical audits. These factors increasingly are cultural, i.e. the culture existing within the organisation and that also exists amongst the employees of that company. Therefore, we will provide the factors and metrics that can be used to assess these, sometimes intangible, cultural elements.
Open systems are useful for a variety of reasons. It has been observed (Oberndorf & Sledge, 2010) that any system, e.g. telecommunications systems, often have thirty-year lifetimes, performance requirements are increasing, and technology is maturing faster, and customers’ needs are always changing. In order to meet these requirements effectively, by employing an open systems approach, programme, business, and/or acquisition managers are able to design for affordable change, enable evolutionary acquisition, and rapidly field affordable systems that are interoperable in the marketplace.