A systems approach to improve reliability of a contract by Modularising contract’s information flow architecture: a new contribution to risk mitigation in projects management

ABSTRACT To achieve a good architecture for information flow in a contract capable of withstanding environmental disruptive events, the present study employs systems engineering approaches and proposes a reliable design for the architecture by modularising the concerned architecture. The study argues that the ‘modularisation’ can avoid propagation of damage(s) from one component to another. The authors present a methodology for designing a reliable architecture for information flow in a contract by utilizing design structure matrix (DSM) methodology and axiomatic design theory (ADT). Results from the application of the method showed that modularisation was increased and the overall reliability was significantly enhanced