Product Architecture (2024)

What is Product Architecture?

Product architecture is the organization (or chunking) of a product’s functional elements. It’s the ways these elements, or chunks, interact. It plays a significant role in how to design, make, sell, use, and repair a new product offering. Linking to system-level design and the principles of system engineering.

Put simply, it’s the strategy of mapping the function to form.

Product Architecture (1)

Karl T. Ulrich, an educator, and author who has written extensively about product design and development. He describes product architecture as the “scheme by which the function of a product is allocated to physical components. Architecture is particularly relevant to the research and development (R&D) function of a company[…] architectural decisions are made during the early phases of the innovation process where the R&D function often plays a lead role.”
Product Architecture (2)

Basic steps:

  1. Create a schematic of the product
  2. Cluster the elements of the schematic
  3. Draft a geometric layout
  4. Identify fundamental and incidental interactions

Read more real-world insights for developing a product architecture here and here.

What are the Types of Product Architecture?

There are two fundamental types of product architecture: modular and integral.

In the modular type, well-defined component interfaces functionally self-contain modules. Organize a product into a number of modules to develop and complete a specific function. The interaction of these modules carries out the product’s overall purpose. The advantages of modular include task allocation and outsourcing. As well as, economies of scale, reuse/standardization for developing new products, maintenance, and mass customization.

Product Architecture (3)

With integral product architecture, functions are shared by physical elements. There’s greater complexity of mapping between components and functions. However, we design or adapt components for a specific product, making it easier to optimize the overall system.

What is Product Architecture’s Role in Product Development?

Product architecture affects most aspects of product design and manufacturing. Determine early on in the product development process what role and team activities architecture will focus on. Because it also drives the design and has a significant impact on costs.

Want to learn how these elements influence the roadmap? Product Architecture (4)

Product Architecture (2024)

FAQs

How to explain product architecture? ›

Product architecture is the organization (or chunking) of a product's functional elements. It's the ways these elements, or chunks, interact. It plays a significant role in how to design, make, sell, use, and repair a new product offering.

What is an example of a product architecture? ›

The idea is to map the product's functions and features, rather than the product's physical design. For instance, you might draw a rectangle labeled "Product", when your product is really a tricycle. Following this example, you may have bubbles coming off of your "Product" rectangle labeled "Handlebars" or "Wheels".

What does a product architect do? ›

Product Architect Responsibilities

Developing design principles that improve product performance. Ensuring the scalability of products by improving product capacities and capabilities. Setting the tone for product evolution at every stage in the development process.

What is the difference between modular and integral product architecture? ›

To put it succinctly, in an integral architecture, functions are shared by physical elements while in a modular architecture, each function is delegated to a separate element. It is vital to define product architecture before starting product development.

What are the 5 points of architecture explained? ›

The design principles include the following five points by Le Corbusier: Pilotis (pillars), roof garden, open floor plan, long windows and open facades. Basically, Le Corbusier called for a radical change in architecture.

What is the best example of architecture? ›

Masterpieces Of Design: The 10 Best Examples Of Architecture In The World
  • 4 Taj Mahal – Agra, India.
  • 5 Sydney Opera House - Australia. ...
  • 6 The Dancing House - Prague. ...
  • 7 Colosseum - Rome, Italy. ...
  • 8 Heydar Aliyev Center - Baku, Azerbaijan. ...
  • 9 La Sagrada Familia - Barcelona, Spain. ...
  • 10 Hagia Sophia - Istanbul, Turkey. ...
Mar 25, 2023

What is the first example of architecture? ›

The Origin Of Architecture

The exact origin of architecture can be placed back in the Neolithic period, about 10,000 B.C., as this is about when humans stopped living in caves. Back before recorded history, humans made structures that confound people to this day, such as Stonehenge.

What is a product architect vs. product manager? ›

The product manager is responsible for describing "What to solve?" and the product architect is tasked with answering "How to solve?". At some companies, one person owns the product manager and product architect roles and is responsible for describing both the market problem and devising a functional solution.

Who does the product architect report to? ›

You will work closely with product and marketing managers, user interaction designers, and software engineers to develop new product offerings and improve existing ones. This position reports to the VP of Development.

What is a product solution architect? ›

A solutions architect creates the overall technical vision for a specific solution to a business problem. They design, describe, and manage the solution.

What is an example of a product modular architecture in PLM? ›

PCs (personal computers) are an effective and highly illustrative example of modular product architecture.

What are the three types of modular architecture? ›

These two types of modular construction — 2D panels and 3D modules — can also be combined to create a third kind: hybrid modular construction. Each has its advantages. 2D panels offer easy logistics and flexibility in building design; they are assembled onsite.

What are the advantages of integral product architecture? ›

Integral architecture generally increases performance and reduces costs for any specific product model.

How do you explain architecture? ›

architecture, the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. The practice of architecture is employed to fulfill both practical and expressive requirements, and thus it serves both utilitarian and aesthetic ends.

How do you describe an architectural model? ›

An architecture model is a partial abstraction of a system. It is an approximation, and it captures the different properties of the system. It is a scaled-down version and is built with all the essential details of the system.

What is product structure in simple words? ›

Product structure is a hierarchical decomposition of a product, typically known as the bill of materials (BOM). As business becomes more responsive to unique consumer tastes and derivative products grow to meet the unique configurations, BOM management can become unmanageable.

What is product design in simple words? ›

Product design as a verb is to create a new product to be sold by a business to its customers. Designing a product is a very broad concept, it is essentially the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a design process that leads to new products.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Last Updated:

Views: 5877

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Birthday: 1993-03-26

Address: 917 Hyun Views, Rogahnmouth, KY 91013-8827

Phone: +5938540192553

Job: Administration Developer

Hobby: Embroidery, Horseback riding, Juggling, Urban exploration, Skiing, Cycling, Handball

Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.