Category: Model-Based Systems Engineering

The Law of Conservation of Systems Engineering

Recently, I’ve heard organizations take the position that systems engineering is an unnecessary expense, and that engineering efforts should push directly to mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and software engineering. This philosophy espouses that problems will be corrected during the integration and testing phases of a project or program. It says …

Integrated or Engineered?

As organizations expand their scope and look beyond model-based systems engineering (MBSE) to model-based engineering, digital thread, or digital engineering, there is a common refrain. Over and over again, organizations speak of pursuing integrated models. Integration is certainly a step forward from disjointed, but integration alone is not enough. If …

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

As a freelance writer, my wife can often be overheard stressing about “art.” According to her philosophy, the graphic for a story can either make or break how the piece is perceived by readers. It’s even more important for online media today, where authors get a one-shot deal at a …

Why is that requirement there?

Have you ever been working on a project and read a requirement and thought, “Why’s that there?” or “What’s that supposed to mean?” I know I have. I’ve worked on Department of Defense and commercial programs and seen requirements that make me pause. I vividly recall working on one software …