Mark Simons once found himself sitting in a circle at his then 8-year-old daughter’s yoga class. Participants went around and introduced themselves, explaining what they did for a living. Realizing that no one in the room would be likely to know about systems engineering, Simons thought quickly about how to …

I speak with people in the systems engineering community all the time. When I hear systems engineers say, “Yeah, I’m doin’ SysML,” it makes me cringe. I’m not bashing SysML views in any way, shape, or form. I think SysML 1.5 diagrams are a great communications tool. But they don’t …

A few weeks ago while I was talking with a longtime colleague, we found ourselves discussing model-based-systems engineering terms. The conversation centered on exactly what needs to be defined up front in any project to avoid misunderstandings. It would be beneficial if every group beginning a project had this discussion, and …

One thing I have learned in my career as a systems engineer is I still have aha moments. And when students of mine have aha moments, I am equally gratified. I recently taught a class on model-based systems engineering that includes hands-on MBSE exercises in a tool environment. In the …