I am often asked, “what is systems engineering?”. My detailed reply if called for is along the lines: Systems engineering is a set of principles and supporting methods, based on systems thinking, for the successful engineering of solutions to problems. The approach is based on related process elements that are selected and integrated for use […]

Systems engineering is a process. Functional design is a physical design. WBS is a breakdown of work. Systems Engineering is for systems engineers […]

In engineering and in life, level of risk often differs between solution alternatives, so we need to factor risk into evaluation of, and decision between, alternatives. So far, so good. Defining evaluation criteria, weighting the criteria (actually, weighting improvements in the criteria, each over a defined range) and producing a total score for each […]

PPI has produced a number of definitions of systems engineering at different levels of abstraction and for use in different contexts. One PPI answer to the question ‘what is systems engineering?’ follows. Systems engineering is a set of principles and supporting methods, based on systems thinking, for the successful engineering of solutions to problems. The […]

By any criteria, the INCOSE International Workshop 2021 (IW), delivered virtually, was a great success …

In this live-recorded webinar and Q&A session, PPI Managing Director Robert Halligan demonstrates how to apply the Wedge Model™ to your engineering projects to reduce risk and increase success. The Wedge Model™, a substantial elaboration of NASA’s Vee Model of the 1960s, is a framework for the application of verification and validation within large projects to […]

DESCRIPTION OF THE WEDGE MODEL™ Abstract The Vee Model, first defined by Rook in 1986, has served well as a depiction of design of non-trivial systems through physical levels of solution description on the left-hand side of the Vee, and physical realization of system elements, together with their integration to create higher physical level system […]

Introduction: Innumerable studies have concluded that requirements problems are the single biggest contributor to cost overruns, schedule slippages and loss of capability in systems and software projects. Cost impacts alone of 10%, 20%, 50%, 80% and more are regularly reported by practitioners and researchers. And yet, the cost of making substantial improvements in requirements quality […]

1.           INTRODUCTION TO WBS/PBS 1.1         What a WBS Is and Isn’t        Let’s get one thing straight. A “Work” Breakdown Structure (WBS) isn’t a breakdown of work. WBS is a really, really bad name. A “Work” Breakdown Structure is actually a product-oriented breakdown of a project into products and services organized […]

What is a requirement? An excellent place to look for a definition is always a universally recognized dictionary. Too many times we redefine terms because we can, and then we end up adding to the plethora of definitions already in existence and thus contributing to further confusion. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a requirement as: “something […]

Systems Engineering (SE) practitioners and researchers have claimed many benefits of applying SE including improved product definition and development and enhanced performance of businesses. It is no secret that applying a SE process to development can mean a slightly longer problem definition phase, more rigorous verification and validation and overall just an increase in resource […]

Choosing the right MBSE tool is a challenge that many of us have to face at one point or another. With the work performed by the INCOSE SE Tools Database Working Group, that might soon be a bit easier. From the INCOSE website: “The Systems Engineering Tools Database Project is underway to provide the systems […]