Complexity is a term that not only defies any disciplined usage in our usual discourse, but also lacks a rigorous definition even in academic circles. It is often confused with complicatedness and is popularly invoked whenever we see many parts arranged in intricate relationships and interacting in hard-to-predict ways. In …

We talk a lot about “modeling language” in the world of systems engineering. That phrase gets used in a variety of ways with different meanings. It is the focus of discussions of standards. And yet, the variety of the usage of “modeling language” has some deleterious effects on the understanding …

Often—and more often than one might think—we hear statements from customers and prospects along the lines of, “I heard MBSE would help us—it’s the latest thing. I hear that Tool X is the ‘industry standard.’ It’s cheap/simple/used by organization Y. If you buy tool X and start building models, it …

Every sprinter knows the importance of the first steps out of the blocks. The start is absolutely critical to their success in the race. No sprinter would hamper his start by trading his speedy, lightweight running spikes for a pair of heavy construction boots. And yet, systems engineers quite often …