Is it only Systems Engineers that do Systems Engineering?

摘要

Misunderstanding and confusion surround the use of the words "system"1 and "systems" in conjunction with engineers and engineering. Some engineers describe themselves as systems engineers but does this tell us what they actually do? Some organisations describe themselves as producing software systems; does this mean they need only software engineers to do this? The words "system" and "systems" are all-embracing terms which at the corporate level can usefully indicate an ability to take on large complex engineering tasks but when used at a more local level can obscure and confuse an individual's roles and tasks. Such confusion hampers communication, understanding of project responsibilities, allocation of project resources and identification of recruitment needs. This paper summarises how a business formed from many legacy organisations is adopting a common engineering process model and language to describe its engineering activities. It concludes that the use of the qualifier "systems" is not helpful in conjunction with the individual engineer. There are two reasons for this: - ⅰ) systems engineers require different skills in their various roles and ⅱ) engineers need to do systems engineering whatever their level in the project hierarchy.