Although modeling has always played a role in engineering, it has become a central focus with the advent of model-based systems engineering. While we as engineers are focused on engineering and building systems, sometimes the topic of modeling, as both an art and a science, still gets short shrift. If …

After 15 years of practice, there is still a great deal of confusion surrounding model-based systems engineering – not only what MBSE is but also the difficulty of application. Some see MBSE as simple, the only possible way they could imagine engineering a system of any scale. Others perceive it …

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 all understand that our complicated world is giving way to a more complex one. We also recognize that our systems engineering techniques used to create modular designs are breaking down as we deal with new levels of complexity. It seems we don’t talk so much about modularity and its …