Complexity poses a greater and greater challenge for the system designer/problem solver. The classic approach to problem analysis and solution calls for the problem and its solutions to be broken apart into their constituent parts until those parts are simple enough to be clearly understood. From there, the parts—whether of …

The systems engineering tool “Analysis of Alternatives,” or AoAs, impacts a broad range of concepts in systems engineering. In my experience, the inception of a project revolves around smart people—often program managers, technical directors, or business developers—discussing what they’ve heard or read or seen as an opportunity to do something …

Earlier this year, I did a webinar entitled “Getting Started on Enterprise Architectures.” In that webinar, I introduced the concept of operational architectures. The topic of operational architectures has come up in conversation lately and I thought this article would be a good time to explore the concept of operational …

In my “other job” as an elected representative for my county, I am often called upon to speak to community organizations and business groups, and to attend diverse events throughout my district and county. Just about any time I am present in a gathering of citizens, the conversation turns to …