Systems Engineering is a fundamental process that can be used to design anything from a backyard grill to a crewed-space platform.
Each step utilizes established design and analysis tools.
The process is iterative.
Between process steps there are “feedback loops” to review decisions made in previous steps.
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their life cycles.
At its core, systems engineering utilizes systems thinking principles to organize this body of knowledge.
Systems engineering plays a key role in the project organization.
Managing a project consists of three main objectives: managing the technical aspects of the project, managing the project team, and managing the cost and schedule.
As shown in Figure 2.0-1, these three functions are interrelated.