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Systems engineering
Systems engineering (SE) is an interdisciplinary and integrative approach to the design, development, operation, maintenance, and retirement of engineered systems. It considers a system as a whole and coordinates the relationships between its components, stakeholders, requirements, and operating environment. The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) describes systems engineering as a transdisciplinary and integrative approach for the successful realization, use, and retirement of engineered systems.
Systems engineering is applied throughout the life cycle of a system and is used in fields including aerospace, automotive engineering, healthcare, infrastructure, information technology, and other areas involving complex systems.
History
Systems engineering developed as a distinct engineering discipline in response to the increasing complexity of large technical systems and the need to coordinate multiple engineering disciplines. Its development has been associated with large-scale projects in areas such as aerospace, defense, telecommunications, and other complex engineering environments.
The discipline has subsequently developed into a broad approach that combines engineering, systems thinking, technical management, and life-cycle considerations. Organizations such as NASA and INCOSE have developed formal guidance and handbooks describing systems engineering processes and practices.
Principles
Systems engineering focuses on understanding the system as an integrated whole rather than optimizing individual components independently. NASA describes systems engineering as a methodical, multidisciplinary approach in which technical contributions from different engineering disciplines are evaluated and balanced to produce a coherent system.
Important considerations include:
Stakeholder needs and requirements System functions and performance Interfaces between system elements Technical and operational constraints Verification and validation Risk and configuration management Life-cycle cost and schedule Operation, maintenance, and retirement
The relationships between system elements are particularly important because system-level behaviour can depend on how individual elements interact with one another.
Systems engineering process
Systems engineering is generally applied throughout the life cycle of a system. The specific sequence and terminology may vary according to the organization, project, and life-cycle model.
A typical systems engineering process includes the following activities:
Stakeholder needs and requirements
The process begins by identifying stakeholder needs, objectives, constraints, and expected outcomes. These needs are translated into system requirements that can be used to guide design and development.
Concept development
Alternative system concepts are developed and evaluated against requirements, constraints, performance objectives, and other criteria. Trade-off analysis can be used to compare alternative solutions.
System architecture and design
The system is divided into components or subsystems and the relationships between them are defined. Interfaces, functions, performance characteristics, and other system properties are considered during the design process.
Implementation and development
Individual system elements are developed or acquired according to the defined requirements and design. Systems engineering coordinates the relationships between these elements and the overall system objectives.
Integration
System elements are progressively combined to form larger assemblies and ultimately the complete system. Integration activities address interfaces and interactions between system elements.
Verification and validation
Verification determines whether the system and its elements satisfy specified requirements. Validation evaluates whether the resulting system is suitable for its intended use and satisfies stakeholder needs. NASA distinguishes product verification from product validation as separate but related activities within systems engineering.
Operation and maintenance
After deployment, systems engineering considerations continue through system operation, maintenance, modification, and support. Changes to system elements can require reassessment of requirements, interfaces, performance, and risks.
Retirement
The life cycle concludes with system retirement, disposal, replacement, or transition to another system. Systems engineering considers these activities as part of the overall system life cycle.
Life-cycle processes
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023 establishes a common framework for describing processes associated with the life cycle of systems created by humans. The standard covers system life-cycle activities from conception and development through production, utilization, support, and retirement. It also allows processes to be applied iteratively, concurrently, and recursively to systems and their elements.
The standard does not prescribe a single life-cycle model, development methodology, modelling approach, or technique. Instead, organizations can select and tailor appropriate processes for their systems and projects.
Systems engineering management
Systems engineering includes technical management activities intended to maintain alignment between system requirements, technical development, project objectives, and constraints.
Common management activities include:
Requirements management Technical planning Configuration management Risk management Interface management Technical reviews Decision analysis Verification planning Validation planning Technical performance assessment
These activities help maintain consistency between system development and the intended system objectives. NASA's systems engineering guidance describes technical management as a crosscutting part of systems engineering practice.
Model-based systems engineering
Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) is an approach in which models are used as a primary means of representing system information and relationships during systems engineering activities.
MBSE can support the representation of requirements, system architecture, interfaces, behaviour, and other system information. NASA identifies the use of model-based systems engineering as one of the developments in its systems engineering practice.
Applications
Systems engineering is used in projects involving complex systems and multiple interacting components. Applications include:
Aerospace systems Automotive systems Defense systems Healthcare systems Infrastructure Information technology Transportation systems Telecommunications Industrial systems
INCOSE identifies systems engineering applications across areas including automotive, defense, healthcare, infrastructure, and other complex engineered systems.
Standards and guidance
Several organizations publish standards and guidance related to systems engineering.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023 defines system life-cycle processes and associated terminology. It provides a common process framework that can be applied to different types of systems and across their life cycles.
The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) publishes the Systems Engineering Handbook, which describes systems engineering concepts, life-cycle processes, methods, and application considerations.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) publishes a Systems Engineering Handbook describing systems engineering practices used in NASA programs and projects. The handbook covers fundamentals, life-cycle activities, system design processes, product realization, and technical management.
See also Systems thinking Systems architecture Systems analysis Requirements engineering Model-based systems engineering Software engineering Engineering design process Project management References International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). About Systems Engineering. INCOSE – About Systems Engineering International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). Systems Engineering Handbook. INCOSE – Systems Engineering Handbook National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Systems Engineering Handbook – Fundamentals of Systems Engineering. NASA – Fundamentals of Systems Engineering National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Systems Engineering Handbook. NASA – Systems Engineering Handbook International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023 – Systems and software engineering — System life cycle processes. ISO – ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023 IEEE Standards Association. IEEE/ISO/IEC 15288-2023 – Systems and software engineering — System life cycle processes. IEEE – 15288-2023 Bahill, A. T. “What Is Systems Engineering? A Consensus of Senior Systems Engineers.” INCOSE International Symposium, 1996. Wiley Online Library – What Is Systems Engineering?