Patent ID: 7752144

Claim:
A method for determining, using at least one processor in a computer system, a total ownership cost associated with a complex system, said method comprising: receiving, at a total ownership cost assessment tool which is implemented in said at least one processor, an aspect of system context from an information model representing the complex system, wherein said system context includes one or more of a functional context, a physical context, an operational context and an infrastructure context, wherein said information model representing the complex system is generated by and maintained in a multi-disciplinary environment comprising a plurality of networked computers; receiving, at said total ownership cost assessment tool, an aspect of schedule context from said information model representing the complex system, said schedule context being mapped to one or more contexts included in said system context to provide a timeline of evolutions of said contexts through the life cycle of said complex system, said aspect of schedule context being related to said aspect of system context; and determining, by said at least one processor, the total ownership cost of the complex system based on said aspect of system context and said aspect of schedule context, wherein said step of determining the total ownership cost further comprises: processing said aspect of system context and said aspect of schedule context from said information model representing the complex system by said total ownership cost assessment tool, and calculating, from said aspect of system context and said aspect of schedule context, in accordance with a cost projection function wherein said cost projection function includes cost curves representing a cost associated with a technology performance parameter over time and an inflation driven cost index as a multiplier of a reference cost of said aspect of said complex system at a reference time, by said total ownership cost assessment tool, the total ownership cost associated with said complex system over a period of time in accordance with said aspect of said schedule context whereby a parameter of a project phase of said complex system is determined based on said total ownership cost determined in said step of determining the total ownership cost.