Two Views of Systems Engineering: Project-Centric and System Conception

摘要

This paper discusses two differentrnapproaches to understanding the nature and purpose ofrnSystems Engineering. The two approaches to thinkingrnabout Systems Engineering involve, on one side, arnproject level view in which Systems Engineering isrnseen as a set of processes by which major, complexrnprojects may be addressed and completed on time andrnon budget and on performance. The contrasting viewrncentres about the conceptual issues of determination ofrnhow we can be confident that our projects arernappropriate and useful. This paper exposes the twornviews of Systems Engineering and discusses thernrelationship between them. The two views are different,rnand have different emphases, and so are instructive inrndifferent ways, but are different views of the samernthing. The two views are not opposed and do not,rnfundamentally, conflict.