In his book, A Technique for Producing Ideas, James Webb Young points out that in addition to understanding the domain in which the problem or challenge lies, the true innovator must have a wide understanding of the world in general. He says, “The more of the elements of that world …

The business of systems engineering is problem solving. The ability to see and understand the problem and then to explore the solution set in search of the best answer is the core skill for the successful practitioner. It is important that we devote our attention to our processes, tools, and …

Creativity and problem solving follow a track that moves from the identification and definition of the problem through a relatively rapid generation of alternatives into a deliberative consideration of the merits of a subset of those alternatives and finally to a selection and definition of the solution. This process occurs …

At first blush it is tempting to look at this book and ask, “How does this have any relevance for systems engineering?” After all, this little volume was first published in 1940 by an “ad man.” It’s 75 years old and predates the recognition of systems engineering as a separate …