Methodologies

How do you design systems that keep growing in complexity? Our methodologies provide a clear, structured approach to maintain control and accelerate innovation, bridging the gap between theory and practice.

TNO-ESI-Methods-header-2

Driving innovation in system design

One of the key outcomes of TNO-ESI’s research is a collection of multi-disciplinary design methodologies that tackle the complexity of high-tech and embedded systems. Built on a solid academic foundation and validated in industry, these methods empower engineers to create faster, smarter, and more reliable systems.

Explore the overview below to discover new and proven approaches developed by us over the years - driving innovation in system design.

A3 System overview

The A3 method transforms complex system documentation into a clear, single-page overview - making architectures easier to capture, communicate, and evolve.
Learn more

DAARIUS methodology

DAARIUS brings structure and clarity to complex system design - enabling informed decisions through explicit reasoning, rapid overviews, and executable models.
Learn more

Renaissance

Renaissance is a methodology that uses compiler-powered analysis, graph-based understanding, and rule-driven code transformation to enable large-scale modernization of complex, long-lived software systems.

Learn more

Reference architectures for product families

Reference Architectures provide a clear framework to manage complexity - ensuring consistency, validating solutions, and enabling confident innovation.
Learn more

Synthesis-Based Engineering

Synthesis‑Based Engineering is a methodology that automatically generates correct supervisory controllers from formal system specifications, reducing complexity and engineering effort.
Learn more

Equipment diagnostics for hard-down failures

A model‑based digital assistant that quickly identifies likely hardware faults and guides technicians with the most valuable next tests.
Learn more

Model-based Verification and Validation of Systems

This methodology turns informal engineering knowledge into precise, analyzable models that enable automated design and testing across the system lifecycle, improving quality while reducing effort and lead time.
Learn more
general picture website1

Proven results

The knowledge ESI has been able to develop over the years together with partner companies from the high-tech industry, university partners, international partners and TNO is widely disseminated. Methodologies are freely available and shared through the ESI academy, industrial and academic partners, the international network and with the help of implementation partners.

See our publications for more information on e.g.
20 years TNO-ESI: Managing Complexity in cyber-physical systems