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 managementTogether, 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
