Eisner Howard. Systems Engineering: Fifty Lessons Learned

CRC Press, 2020. — 138 p. — ISBN: 978-0-367-42242-4.The author has spent approximately 50 years in the field of systems engineering. This Focus book provides a “looking back” at his 50-year run and the lessons he learned and would like to share with other engineers, so they can use these lessons in their day-to-day work in systems engineering and related fields.
The book is written from a systems engineering perspective. It offers 50 lessons learned working for a variety of different companies, which can be used across many other engineering fields.
The book will be of interested to students and engineers across many fields, as well as students and engineers working in business and management fields.Technical
When and Where Possible, Go Back to Fundamentals
Case One
Case Two
Case Three
Seriously Explore Alternatives, Even If Time Is Short
References and Recommended Reading
Embrace Prototyping as Well as Modeling and Simulation (M&S)
References and Recommended Reading
Cost-Effectiveness Is Still the Preferred Approach
Typical MOEs for Communication Systems
Selected MOEs for Transportation Systems
Limited MOEs for Air Defense Systems
Weighting Factors
References and Recommended Reading
Do Not Attempt to Integrate All Stovepipes
Reference and Recommended Reading
A Bit at a Time or All at Once
References and Recommended Reading
Growth by Acquisition
The Contract
Less Paper Please
References and Recommended Reading
Management
Definitely Measure, but Do Not Over-Measure
Software Measurement
Overall Project Measurement
Significant Parameters
COCOMO I and COCOMO II
References and Recommended Reading
Under Promise and Over Deliver
Reference and Recommended Reading
Try to Improve Overall Systems Engineering Practices
References and Recommended Reading
Negotiate
References and Recommended Reading
Understanding the Enterprise
Monthly Measurements
The Balanced Scorecard
References and Recommended Reading
The Systems Approach
Systems Thinking
References and Recommended Reading
Industry/Government Interaction
Universities
INCOSE Certification
Tradeoffs
Risk
Detection and False Alarm Probabilities
Resilience
References and Recommended Reading
Idea Based
They Were Right: KISS, Simplify, and Reduce Complexity
References and Recommended Reading
Seek a Balanced System Solution; Do Not Try to Optimize or Achieve Perfection
Other References to Balance
Stakeholders
References and Recommended Reading
Understand the Power, Importance, and Challenge of Functional Decomposition
References and Recommended Reading
Break the Problem into Pieces Using the Reductionist Approach Whenever Possible, and Then Apply Lateral Thinking
References and Recommended Reading
Develop and Try a New Way of Architecting
The DoD Procedure for Developing Architecture
Products for Views
An Alternative Approach
References and Recommended Reading
Plato and Proust
Reference and Recommended Reading
Try to Master New Tools and Use Them as Needed
References and Recommended Reading
Real EAM
References and Recommended Reading
Ways of Thinking
Visualization
Lateral Thinking
Hybrid Thinking
Six Thinking Hats
Special Point-of-View Thinking [3]
References and Recommended Reading
New Ideas to Be Explored
General Systems Theory
Rapid Computer-Aided Systems of Systems
New Method of Systems Architecting
National Aviation System (NAS) Model
Systems Engineering and Software Engineering
Emergent Properties of Systems
Affordability
Design to Cost
References and Recommended Reading
People Oriented
Building a Highly Productive Systems Engineering Team
The Team Leader
Project Management and Leadership
References and Recommended Reading
Listen to Your Elders
References and Recommended Reading
Leadership
Practical Visionary
Inclusive Communicator
Positive Doer
Renewing Facilitator
Principled Integrator
Reference and Recommended Reading
New Boss
Reference and Recommended Reading
Team Busters
Meetings
A Systems Engineering Meeting
References and Recommended Reading
Myers–Briggs
Reference and Recommended Reading
Becoming a Hi-Tech Manager
Skills Required
Specific Steps
Reference and Recommended Reading
Dealing with Your Customer
Going to Lunch with Your Customer
Issuance of a New Task Order
Quick Response Capability
A Truthful Interchange
The Re-Competition
b]Integration[/b]
Reference and Recommended Reading
Hall, Goode, and Machol
A. D. Hall
Goode and Machol
Machol’ s View
References and Recommended Reading
Man vs. Machine
Miscellany
Redundancy is Important and May Be Critical in Certain Systems
Reference and Recommended Reading
Rechtin’s Heuristics Are Brilliant and Need to Be Studied and Followed
References and Recommended Reading
Mistakes
A Footnote to the IBM – Microsoft Story
References and Recommended Reading
Cost Estimating
References and Recommended Reading
Generalize
Risk Analysis and Mitigation
Take Your Pick of Serial and Parallel Configurations
References and Recommended Reading
Change, Options Open, and Iteration
Rechtin’s Options Open
Configuration Control and Management
Iteration
TBDs
References and Recommended Reading
DOTSS
References and Recommended Reading
Obversity
Vaillant, Turned into Lessons Considered
Grit
Intelligence
Listening
Focus
Integrity
Community Involvement
Problem Solver
Respect
Curiosity
Sense of Humor
Resilient
Growth-Oriented
References and Recommended Reading
Top Ten Lessons
Stovepipes
Modeling and Simulation
Architecting
Amid a Wash of Paper …
Industry Initiatives and Government Support
The Elders in Systems Engineering
Functional Decomposition
Team Building
Risk Analysis and Mitigation
The Systems Approach and Systems Thinking
References and Recommended Reading