Lecture 1.3: Systems Engineering as a Discipline

1. 1 Lecture 1.3: Systems Engineering as a Discipline Dr. John MacCarthy UMBC CMSC 615 Fall, 2006

2. 2 Agenda Why Systems Engineering? When and How Much? Types of Engineering Systems Engineering is qualitatively different from other Engineering Fields Qualities of a Systems Engineer Conclusions

3. 3 Why Systems Engineering The cost and schedule impact of an major misunderstanding or error/ change in requirements/ design increases dramatically the further along the development process: Inexpensive to fix during requirements analysis Expensive to fix during production Most programs that get into trouble or fail do so as a result of problems associated with requirements and design (not in building or fielding what was specified) Use of the Systems Engineering Process & techniques significantly reduces the likelihood that that will happen SE ensures: User requirements and desires are known, reconciled and validated early A system meeting these requirements can be built, fielded and operated in an affordable manner (i.e., total system life cycle costs are known) The System that is built meets its requirements

4. 4 When to use Systems Engineering and How Much Systems Engineering Use: Programs involving large, complex Systems, Systems of Systems (or Families of Systems) require formal Systems Engineering Although formal SE is not needed for small development projects (< $5 M), use of some of the techniques can be quite useful Generally development programs > $10 M, should use System Engineering How much systems Engineering should be Used: The larger the program, the more formally the techniques need to be applied For SDD Phase, SE costs are generally ~ 10% of program costs

5. 5 Types of Engineering/Engineers �Classical� Engineering Disciplines: Electrical Engineering Communications Power Computer Signal Processing � Software Engineering Information Technology Engineering Mechanical Engineering Civil Engineering Materials Engineering Chemical Engineering Industrial Engineering Aeronautical/ Aerospace Engineering Nuclear Engineering Bioengineering Petroleum Engineering Cross-Disciplinary Disciplines: Systems Engineering/Architecting Engineering Management Operations Research Specialty Engineering Other Technical Disciplines: Mathematics Physics Chemistry Biology Other Related Disciplines: Management Economics Psychology �

6. 6 Systems Engineering is qualitatively different from other Engineering Fields Systems Engineering/Architecting differs from many engineering disciplines in that much of it is �Soft Science�: Qualitative Process Oriented People Oriented Strong Written and Oral Communications Skills It is these skills that will be emphasized in this course Systems Engineering/ Architecting Also requires �Hard Science� Skills: Quantitative Mathematics Physical Sciences Engineering

7. 7 Systems Engineer Background Solid background in one of the Classical Engineering or Technical Disciplines Education Work Experience (2-5+ years) Interest in crossing engineering discipline boundaries Quantitative and Qualitative Problem Solving Skills People Skills Communications Skills Management Skills Breadth of knowledge Depth of knowledge as needed Ability to prioritize Ability to quickly master any new discipline Software Experience SW Development: Java or C++ SW Design: Unified Modeling Language (UML) Data Structures IT/Communications Experience Media Wire/Fiber Optic Radio Protocols

8. 8 Systems Engineer Skills Core Technical Skills Mathematics Probability & Statistics Linear Algebra N-D Calculus & Differential Equations Graph Theory Sciences Physics Chemistry (Biology) IT Structured Analysis UML Network Communications Computer Languages (Java) Data Structures Engineering (some core) Other Core (Communications) Skills: Project Management Marketing Economics Psychology Foreign Language History � Core Tool Skills MatLab Visio

9. 9 Types of System Engineering Jobs Systems Engineering Management Planning technical aspects of Projects/ Programs Running technical aspects of Projects/ Programs Managing Departments System Engineering Architecture Modeling and Simulation Design Development Testing Managing Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) Managing Other Teams Configuration Management Risk Management Life Cycle Costing Quality (Process) Engineering Specialty Engineering Systems Engineering Requirements Elicitation System Architecting System Analysis Requirements Analysis Design Analysis Cost Analysis System Modeling and Simulation Cost Modeling Requirements Development Requirements Management Interface Control (Design) (Development) Integration Testing

10. 10 Conclusions Systems Engineering requires broad interdisciplinary backgrounds and interests Systems Engineering is a relatively new academic discipline There is a significant shortage of qualified Systems Engineers !