Systems Engineering Building Successful Systems

This book provides an overview of systems engineering, its important elements, and aspects of management that will lead in the direction of building systems with a greater likelihood of success. Emphasis is placed upon the following elements: - How the systems approach is defined, and how it guides the systems engineering processes - How systems thinking helps in combination with the systems approach and systems engineering - Time lines that define the life cycle dimensions of a system - System properties, attributes, features, measures and parameters - Approaches to architecting systems - Dealing with requirements, synthesis, analysis and cost effectiveness considerations - Life cycle costing of systems - Modeling, simulation and other analysis methods - Technology and its interplay with risk and its management - Systems acquisition and integration - Systems of systems - Thinking outside the box - Success and failure factors - Software engineering - Standards - Systems engineering management Together, these top-level aspects of systems engineering need to be understood and mastered in order to improve the way we build systems, as they typically become larger and more complex. Table of Contents: Definitions and Background / The Systems Approach / Systems Thinking / Key Elements of Systems Engineering / The Life Cycle Dimension / System Properties, Attributes and Features (PAFs) / Measures and Parameters / Architecting / Functional Decomposition / Requirements Engineering / Synthesis / Analysis / Cost-Effectiveness / Life Cycle Costing / Modeling and Simulation / Other Analysis Relationships / The Role of Technology / Risk Management / Testing, Verification, and Validation / Integration / Systems Engineering Management / Project Management / Software Engineering / Systems Acquisition / Systems of Systems / Thinking Outside the Box / Ten Failure Factors / A Success Audit / Standards

Definitions and Background.- The Systems Approach.- Systems Thinking.- Key Elements of Systems Engineering.- The Life Cycle Dimension.- System Properties, Attributes and Features (PAFs).- Measures and Parameters.- Architecting.- Functional Decomposition.- Requirements Engineering.- Synthesis.- Analysis.- Cost-Effectiveness.- Life Cycle Costing.- Modeling and Simulation.- Other Analysis Relationships.- The Role of Technology.- Risk Management.- Testing, Verification, and Validation.- Integration.- Systems Engineering Management.- Project Management.- Software Engineering.- Systems Acquisition.- Systems of Systems.- Thinking Outside the Box.- Ten Failure Factors.- A Success Audit.- Standards.

Howard Eisner came to The George Washington University (GWU) as a full professor in 1989 after thirty years as an executive and research engineer with ORI, Inc. and the Atlantic Research Corporation (ARC). In addition to these positions, he served as president of two systems engineering companies, the Intercon Systems Corporation and the Atlantic Research Services Company. Dr. Eisner has written four books that relate directly to systems engineering, its management, and connected disciplines. He was trained as an engineer and spent much of his career in the command, control, communications and intelligence arena. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and a Fellow of INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering) and The New York Academy of Sciences. He is also a member of Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Xi and Omega Rho, various engineering and research honor societies. In 1994 he was given the Outstanding Achievement Award from the GWU Engineering Alumni. He holds BEE, MS and Doctor of Science degrees from the City College of New York, Columbia University, and The George Washington University, respectively.