Author: Mark Simons

Systems Thinking: Schemas, Metamodels, and MBSE

“Metamodel” and “schema” are terms that get thrown around when we talk about systems and modeling of systems. But what do they really mean? “Meta” comes from the Greek and literally means “above” or “beyond,” but has also come to mean “about” or “of,” so a metamodel is a model …

Understanding Interfaces

We’re told risk is at the interface. But, the term “interface” conflates many ideas, and we often focus on the wrong problem. To correct that, we should consider three perspectives on connectivity: logical connectivity, physical connectivity, and behavioral connectivity. Allow me to demonstrate with an example of a multi-point message …

9 Characteristics of Good Systems Engineering

What makes for good systems engineering? We all know how difficult systems engineering is, but how well are we doing? As I think about maturity levels of organizations, I realize that definitions in the community can be rather heavy on process. I maintain that, although formal processes are best, organizations …