What is Systems
Engineering?
Systems engineering is a relatively new discipline, getting its
start with military and space programs in the mid-1960s.
INCOSE, The International Council on Systems Engineering
was formed in 1990 and has grown to over 8,000 members in
over 50 countries
https://www.asme.org/career-education/articles/certification/certified-systems-engineersare-in-high-demand
What is systems engineering?
 Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization
of successful systems. It focuses on defining customer needs and required functionality
early in the development cycle, documenting requirements, then proceeding with design
synthesis and system validation while considering the complete problem
Operations
Performance
Test
Manufacturing
Cost & Schedule
Training & Support
Disposal
 Systems Engineering integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team
effort forming a structured development process that proceeds from concept to
production to operation. Systems Engineering considers both the business and the
technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality product that
meets the user needs
http://www.incose.org/practice/whatissystemseng.aspx
What do systems engineers do?
 Systems engineers concentrate their efforts on the aspects of the engineering process
that serve to organize and coordinate other engineering activities. The systems
engineer is the primary interface between management, customers, suppliers, and
specialty engineers in the systems development process
Gregory S. Parnell, Patrick J. Driscoll , Dale L. Henderson, 2nd Ed, Systems Decision Making in Systems
Engineering and Management. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, November 2010, pg 198.
What are the Skills and Qualities required
to by a Systems Engineer?
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Good math skills
Strong time management skills
Aptitude for systems thinking
Good common sense
A strong desire for organization
and efficiency
Excellent
communication/salesmanship
Creative problem solving
Quantitative skills
Technical competency
Continuous drive for
improvement
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Resourcefulness
Listening skills
Negotiation skills
Diplomacy
Patience
Ability to adapt to many
environments, wear many hats
and interact with a diverse group
of individuals
Inquisitive mind
Continuous desire to learn
Leadership skills
Ethics
http://www.incose.org/educationcareers/careersinsystemseng.aspx
6
Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary process comprised of the following seven
tasks summarized with the acronym SIMILAR (Bahill and Gissing, 1998).
Bahill, A.T. and Gissing, B., Re-evaluating systems engineering concepts using systems thinking, IEEE Transactions on
Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Part C: Applications and Reviews, Volume 28, Number 4, pp. 516-527, November 1998.
The Steady Rise in Systems Engineering Interest
A search in Compendex on the term “Systems Engineering” in the
title from the years 1995 – present yields 2,286 abstracts.
Systems Engineering Abstract Records/ Year
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What topics are researched in Systems
Engineering?
Top 20 Keyword Topics
TECHNOLOGY
DECISION MAKING
OPTIMIZATION
PRODUCT DESIGN
LARGE SCALE SYSTEMS
TEACHING
INDUSTRY
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
LIFE CYCLE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
STUDENTS
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
CURRICULA
DESIGN
COMPUTER SIMULATION
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
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Top Affiliations
Mitre Corporation
Stevens Institute Of Technology
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute Of
Technology
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology
Aerospace Corporation
Boeing Company
Systems Engineering And Evaluation Centre, University
Of South Australia
Georgia Institute Of Technology
Sandia National Laboratories
Bae Systems
Lockheed Martin
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Projects Performed by Systems Engineers
 Representing a company in the design and construction of the next generation
commercial aircraft
 Designing the network services needed for a cellular communications system
 Developing a communications satellite
 Developing and launching NASA's Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO)
 Working on a design project to make a medical device for heart defibrillation
 Designing the electromagnetic launch system for a nuclear powered aircraft
carrier
 Developing the architecture for the US Army's Future Combat System consisting of
trucks, tanks, aircraft, unmanned aerial and ground vehicles, associated
communication systems, and soldiers
 Performing simulation of a proposed operational concept for a new product
 Representing systems engineering issues on an integrated product team
 Performing research on the next generation systems engineering software tool
Systems Engineering in Louisiana: Jobs
 157 jobs on engineeringjobs.com in Systems Engineering alone
from a wide spectrum of systems. For example,
Control systems
Enterprise systems
Subsea systems
Power systems
Telecommunication systems
Propulsion systems
Fluid systems
Systems Engineering in Louisiana:
Regional Systems
 The concept of Regional Systems of Innovation (RSI) results from a
territorially embedded institutional infrastructure and a production
system. The central idea is that the innovative performance of an
economy depends on the innovative capabilities of firms and
research institutions, and on the ways they interact with each other
and public institutions
 As a region, we need more individuals trained to understand the
way the regional system interacts for innovation and economic
growth.
What we should know about regional systems of innovationD. Doloreux, Linköping University, Systems
of Innovation Research Program, Department of Technology and Social Change, 581 83 Linköping,
Sweden