Definitions

“Engineering of Systems”

Anyone involved in engineering a system should

exercise good systems engineering practices.

Systems engineering:
Scale & Complexity

Rigorous methods and efficient tools

Solution and decision analysis

Need for Modeling & Simulation

System

A system is a set of elements or

components that interact to
accomplish goals.
 Engineering a complex system
Applied GIS
Systems of systems in defense & NASA

GPS and Traffic Monitoring

Machine to Machine in F1
Key Systems Engineering Functions Verification and
Validation
Project Requirements
Objectives Development Architecture
and and and Design
Constraints Management

Tools help engineers

evaluate their systems
more quickly and more Verification Verification
efficiently, but they do not and
replace the “Art” and
and
Validation Validation
“Creativity” necessary to
conceive them
Project Objectives
Operations Met,
Concept Ready for
Operations
Systems Engineering
Management Plan

“The objective of systems engineering is to see to it that the system is designed, built, and
operated so that it accomplishes its purpose in the most cost-effective way possible, considering
performance, cost, schedule and risk.”
NASA Systems Engineering Handbook SP6105
 5

Overview
• System Engineer raises the question of how deep that
understanding of a broad knowledge needs to be in
the development of a complex system
• System Engineer must recognize such factors as
program risks, technological performance limits,
and interfacing requirements, and make trade-off
analyses among design alternatives.
• System building block provide an important insight by
examining the structural hierarchy of modern systems.
 What Characterizes Complexity?
• Complex: composed of interconnected or interwoven parts.
– A complex system may consist of a small number of parts
connected in complicated ways.
– A large number of disconnected parts is not complex system,
for example a large collection of books.
– The items that distinguish a complex system from a collection of
parts are the connections.
– The manifestation of a complex system is the dependence upon the
interfaces and hierarchy. Therefore, we need to subdivide the
complexity.
System Design Hierarchy

Model of Complex System : System, Subsystem, Component, Parts

 8

Systems engineer vs Design Specialist

 9

System Environment
• The system primarily consists of inputs, outputs, and
controls.
• Inputs, outputs, and controls determine external entities &
interactions.
 10

System building block

• A library of commonly occurring system elements
• A useful tool for modeling system architecture and its
synthesis
• Basic building blocks of all engineered systems
• Characterized by functional and physical attributes
• Functional Building Block- elements
• Include data, information, process input (e.g. Sensor/signal)
• Physical Building Block- elements
• Electronics, Electro-Optical, Electro-mechanical, Mechanical,
Thermomechanical, Software
Information Systems Building Blocks
Systems decomposition

Enterprise External Systems

System/
Functional Options
Domain of the
Systems Engineering
Subsystem

Component/
Building Blocks

Subcomponents
Domain of the
Technical Specialist
Parts
 13

System Interfaces
System Interface are a critical systems
engineering:
- Effect interactions between components
- Require identification, specification, coordination,
and control
- Require that test interfaces be provided for
integration and
maintenance
- Include elements that connect, isolate, or convert
interactions
 14

Example: Enterprise Systems Engineering

• an enterprise may consist of a varied collection of system
types, such as human or social systems that integrated with
physical systems
• The source of complexity in enterprise is primarily the
integration of a diversity of systems and processes:
• Business strategy and strategic planning,
• Business processes,
• Enterprise services,
• Governance,
• Technical processes,
• People management and interactions,
• Knowledge management,
• IT infrastructure and investment,
• Facility and equipment management,
• Supplies management, and
• Data and information management
 15

System Engineering Management

• Systems engineering mostly be conducted in a project,
which requires project management
 16
Radar Transponder Da ta comms. Aircraft Telephone
system system system comms. system

Position Backup Comms. Backup comms.

processor position processor processor
processor

Aircraft Flight plan ATC system

simulation database
system architecture

Weather map
system
Controller Controller
Accounting info. system consoles
system

Activity logging
system
 17

Inter-disciplinary involvement
Software Electronic Mechanical
engineering engineering engineering

Structural ATC systems User interface

engineering engineering design

Civil Electrical
Architecture
engineering engineering
 18

Sample of Complex Systems

 19

Example of System hierarchies

Town

Street

Building
Heating Power Water
system system system
Security Lighting Waste
system system system
 20

The Approaches
 21

The Approaches
 22

Managing Requirements
• Decomposition techniques create “chunks” that can be
handled by design teams and eventually individual
designers
 23

System requirements definition

• Three types of requirement defined at this stage
• Abstract functional requirements. System functions are defined in
an abstract way
• System properties. Non-functional requirements for the system in
general are defined
• Undesirable characteristics. Unacceptable system behaviour is
specified
• Should also define overall organisational objectives for
the system
 24

System lifecycle
• System engineering process & approach, as well as
system evolution motivate system lifecycle
• There are various model of system lifecycle
 25

System lifecycle
 26

System lifecycle: concept dev. phase

 27

System lifecycle: engineering dev. phase