system design

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system design The activity of proceeding from an identified set of requirements for a system to a design that meets those requirements. A distinction is sometimes drawn between high-level or architectural design, which is concerned with the main components of the system and their roles and interrelationships, and detailed design, which is concerned with the internal structure and operation of individual components. The term system design is sometimes used to cover just the high-level design activity. See also system requirements specification, review.