Systems Engineering Fifty Lessons Learned

The author has spent approximately 50 years in the field of systems engineering. This Focus book provides a "looking back" at his 50-year run and the lessons he learned and would like to share with other engineers, so they can use these lessons in their day-to-day work in systems engineering and related fields. The book is written from a systems engineering perspective. It offers 50 lessons learned working for a variety of different companies, which can be used across many other engineering fields. The book will be of interested to students and engineers across many fields, as well as students and engineers working in business and management fields.

Chapter 1. Project Management. 2. General Management. 3. Strategic Planning. 4. The “Ilities”. 5. Business Development. 6. Team Building and Problem Solving. 7. Idea-Driven. 8. People-Centered.

Howard Eisner spent 30 years in industry and 24 years in academia. In the former, he was a working engineer, manager, executive (at ORI, Inc. and the Atlantic Research Corporation) and president of two high-tech companies (Intercon Systems and the Atlantic Research Services Company). In academia he was a professor of engineering management and a distinguished research professor in the Engineering School at The George Washington University (GWU). At GWU he taught courses in systems engineering, technical enterprises, project management, modulation and noise and information theory. He has written nine books that relate to engineering, systems, and management. He has also given lectures, tutorials and colloquia to professional societies (such as INCOSE – International Council on Systems Engineering), government agencies (such as the DoD, NASA and the DOT) and other groups (such as the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)). In 1994 he was given the outstanding achievement award from the GWU Engineering Alumni. Dr. Eisner is a Life Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and a fellow of INCOSE and the New York Academy of Sciences. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Xi and Omega Rho, various research/honor societies. He received a Bachelor’s degree (BEE) from the City College of New York (1957), a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University (1958), and a Doctor of Science degree from The George Washington University (1966). Since 2013, he has served as professor emeritus of engineering management and distinguished research professor at The George Washington University. As such, he has continued to explore advanced topics in engineering, systems, and management.