Solving complex problems is the main course on the systems engineering menu. No longer reserved as a delicacy to be consumed by a few adventurous diners, complex problems are daily fare for the working engineer. It is the easy-to-solve, simplistic problem that has become rare. This situation has a wide …

The first task in any problem-solving effort is that of framing the problem. This is sometimes simplistically labeled “stating” the problem but that invites a limited view of what is involved up front. What is needed at the beginning is anything but limited. It is hard to overstate the importance …

A highly respected colleague once presented a leading edge paper on model-based conceptual design at a conference. When he finished, a member of the audience – one considered by many to be a thought-leader in model-based systems engineering – stood up. He didn’t ask a question or offer an insight. …

By Sara Sumner, Vitech Applications Engineer As a systems engineer, I have found that when working with complex projects, it is critically important to capture the relationships between the product and the functional work allocation. Capturing these relationships can help manage the uncertainty of impacts on the project when inevitable …