New ideas for modeling systems

摘要

Engineering practice has evolved from a craft to a collection of separate activities, such as mechanical, electrical, and structural, each with its own way of doing things. The interfaces among these activities are poorly defined, so decisions in one area often have effects on other areas that are not realized until long after their consequences have propagated. A systems engineering approach assumes every aspect of a design is connected — nothing takes place "in a vacuum." Another assumption is that the de- sign model is not deterministic. That is, it does not contain a set of formulas that model reality well enough to say, "Do this, and the following 42 things will happen."