The systems engineering process is an interdisciplinary approach aimed at efficiently and successfully creating systems within budget and schedule constraints. It serves as an important guideline for product development, applicable to various types of system development right from defense systems, vehicles, to even household appliances.
This approach emphasizes on several procedural aspects like meeting customer needs, establishing requirements early in the development cycle, closely collaborating with stakeholders, and meticulously documenting every step of the way.
By employing systems engineering techniques, you can navigate through the design synthesis and system validation stages while maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the problem and the proposed solution.
To fully capitalize on the benefits of systems engineering, it’s important to grasp the fundamental principles that underpin this methodology.
- Problem Definition
Rather than jumping straight into proposing solutions, it is crucial to begin by thoroughly analyzing and defining the problem. While this may seem obvious, many teams make the mistake of initiating a project with a predetermined solution in mind. Approaching the project from a solution-oriented perspective can lead to requirements and risks that align solely with the preconceived solution, potentially hindering the identification of the most suitable solution. By first defining the problem, you open up the opportunity to explore a range of potential solutions, increasing the likelihood of selecting the best one.
- Stakeholder engagement
From the outset of a project, it is imperative to engage stakeholders actively. The most successful endeavors in product development maintain continuous involvement of various stakeholders, including customers, users, operators, technical personnel, and other relevant parties. Throughout the entire process, the systems engineering approach incorporates a range of reviews and decision points strategically designed to promote transparency, foster early feedback from all stakeholders, and ensure alignment among the team. This creates multiple opportunities to provide valuable feedback and contribute insightful inputs, enhancing the overall quality of the project.
- Breaking down the system for efficiency
To tackle the increasing complexity of modern systems, especially with the rapid advancement of technology and the proliferation of product variations, the systems engineering strategy emphasizes the importance of breaking down a large system into smaller, manageable parts. This process involves decomposing the system into numerous subsystems and further breaking down each subsystem into its constituent software and hardware components. By adopting this approach, the development process becomes more manageable and efficient.
Orthogone systems engineering approach focuses on the key aspects of the product, enabling successful and efficient system development.
