System Thinking

The concepts of system thinking defined as the process to understand and analyze the problem

It is originally from the system paradigm processes and principles

It is associated with system approaches, system concepts, system patterns and principles, engineering
system, system science, and system representations.

These generate the required knowledge to system thinking approach

System thinking is a holistic approach to analyze the various dimensions of a problem. It has significance
in interacting and understanding every type of system associated with a business to resolve the complex
issues. It requires to understand what actually system thinking is in the modern world and ways to the
identification of it.

Slide1:

In this slide, I want to explain the key points about the system thinking, its definition, and related terms
and ways to enhance the knowledge on the system. To understand the system thinking needs to analyze
the various concepts such as science, engineering, principles, patterns, and approaches. It looks for
every aspect of the system instead of ofa few.

https://incoseonline.org.uk/Documents/zGuides/Z11_SE_PM_WEB.pdf

The system thinking process starts with purpose and performance. In between the purpose and
performance, it focuses on the key areas including the people, preparation, and processes to accomplish
its purpose successfully. These activities are accomplished in a cyclical manner to solve problems and
enhancement of improvements on the key processes.
Slide2:

This slide focuses on the five key elements of the system thinking process. The elements include
purpose, performance, people, processes, and preparation. It provides information about how the
elements are helpful in the identification of a problem and resolving it determining and implementing
the accurate solutions to enhance the system processes.

System thinkers have set of characteristics over linear thinking processes

These are focused towards a process

These are oriented towards the entire organization

They try to identify problems and patterns

They take more care and attentive towards the way of communication and interaction

They try to find out the hidden dynamics

The system thinkers also have a belief that it is hard to predict the organizations in chaotic situations.
They determine the problem of identifying the symptoms. They focus on the elimination of a problem to
remove the symptoms through cause and effects management. They utilize system thinking principles to
resolve the problem in a short time.

Slide3:

In the present slide, I want to explain the characteristics of the system thinking processes against the
linear thinking processes and to differentiate between them in various processes. It focuses on how
system thinking process resolves a problem through identifying just symptoms or cause and effects. This
helps the identification of drawbacks of linear thinking.

Systems Engineering

System engineering is developed based on the approach of system thinking

SE is one of the interdisciplinary approaches to enhance the abilities of the systems

It performs major activities including

 Identification and defining the needs of the customers in the requirement phase
 System validation and synthesizing the design
 Documentation of the system functional and non-functional requirements

SE combines the different areas of system development including the schedule and cost, test,
manufacturing, testing and support, performance, disposal, operations, and support and training to
ensure structured system development. It fulfills the customers as well as business requirements to
deliver high-quality products to the customers based on their needs.

Slide4:
This slide presents information about the new topic system engineering derived from the system
thinking approach. It explains how SE is utilizing in the improvement of system capabilities and its
development and key activities performed including customer needs identification, determining
functional and non-functional requirements, and validation and testing the system to identify faults.

System engineering takes responsibility to develop and execute the system development process

This process involves mainly seven tasks

Development of problem statement

Assessment of the alternative solution

Modeling the system

System integration

Implementing the system

Monitoring the performance of assets

Re-assessment of the system

All these tasks synthesized with an acronym called SIMILAR

The seven tasks of system engineering are able to represent the value of system engineering and work
towards resolving the problem effectively. Other elements including mathematical models, quantitative
risk management, and design based on the decision are required to minimize the problems. These are
needed to be learned by any kind of industry.

Slide5:

This slide focuses on the key responsibilities performed by the system engineering and its elements.
Those include seven key tasks in the system development which is helpful in providing an accurate
solution to the problem. Key elements of the SE are discussed including the models, risk management,
and decision-making to resolve all the problems.

System engineering management has mainly three functions including

System engineering process

Life cycle integration

Development phasing

SE process facilitates the structure to resolve the design-related problems and managing the flow of
design efforts (Incose, 2019)

Development phase concentrates on the efforts of the design team and monitoring the design process

Life cycle integration ensures the involvement of customers in system development

The three activities work together to reduce the overall production time and reducing the waste,
rework, and redesigning of a system. Integrated teams, life cycle planning, and design baselines are
facilitated to monitor every activity of system development. It needs to repeat implementation of the SE
while system development to meet the end user requirements.

Slide6:

In this slide, I am going to explain the key functions of system engineering providing information about
the developing phase, life cycle integration, and SE process. The key activities are explained and how
they are helpful in minimizing production time. Techniques to monitor these three activities are
provided in the slide

The dimension of system engineering

Activity

Work
Aspect
product
Dimesios
of system
engineeing

Partner Resouce

The five dimensions identified for the system engineering are the activity, resource, aspect, work
product, and partner. These are helpful in determining how the flow of work is done during system
development and best practices. These are also helpful in predicting the behavior of a system and
implementing it successfully.

Slide7:

This slide focused on the explanation of the key dimensions of the system engineering including
resource, aspect, partner, work product, and activity are helpful in developing a product or service.
Awareness is improved on how dimensions are influencing the end outcomes of system development
and testing the functionality and implementing the system successfully.

Key relationships existed between the dimensions of system engineering

Activities lead to the development and revising the work products and describe how the work is
accomplished
Work products are results of the development of specifications

Resources are required to identify the specifications

Aspects are required to segregation of concerns related to the specification

Partners are required to

The five dimensions identified above require to associate with technology through mapping. This
mapping is done through developing solution and architecture for software. The performance of these
dimensions is improved through the secondary dimensions including resource dimension, interactivity,
distribution, structuring, and functionality. These are to be structured hierarchically to ensure proper
flow of system engineering

Slide8:

This slide concentrated on the identification of relationships between the dimensions of SE. it helps to
know the dependent and independent relationships among the dimensions such as resource, partners,
aspects, work product, and activities. It also explains the secondary dimensions needed to support
these primary dimensions such as interactivity, structuring, distribution, and functionality.

System engineering is an independent variable depended on many dependent variables.

Development of requirements

Management of requirements

Identification of technical solutions

Designing, development, and testing the subsystem components

Performing system testing and integration

Planning the best practices to system engineering activities

Observing the system engineering practices

Conducting audits and reviews on system engineering

These dimensions are helpful in managing the system engineering processes in various aspects. These
support the system engineer to move from one activity to other activity meeting all the requirements
and achieving a balance between the schedule and cost to handle the technical performance. These
influence the success of a project through system engineering processes.

Slide9:

In this slide, system engineering depended on the dimensions are explained. The dependent variables
including the requirement collection and analysis, solutions development, testing, engineering practices,
and reviews are included and the significance of these dimensions is also provided in terms of
improvement of performance and management of the schedule and cost.

Systems life cycle

The system life cycle is a sequence of phases required for the development of a system

A lot of resource and time is required to develop the system

Proper planning and efficient development is required to ensure success to the new system

These implement activities in a cyclical model when changes are there in requirements

Life cycle models are categorized into three types. Those include individual based, community-based, an
organization based. Organization based life cycle models align into the various phases of research work.
The community-based model is for professionals in an academic discipline. Individual-based is to give
details for a specific project.

Slide10:

This slide introduced the new topic system life cycle and what it is. Its importance in system engineering
is explained in the aspects of time, resources, planning, development efficiency, and changing the
requirements. Three types of life cycle models including the organization based, community-based, and
individual-based are explained.

Feasibility
Analysis

System Requirement
Maintenance Analysis

System Designing the

implementation system

The stages of the system life cycle model include the Feasibility Analysis, Requirement Analysis,
Designing the system, System implementation, and System Maintenance. These phases should be
accomplished in a sequence to complete the system development effectively. Feasibility includes the
investigation activities, the analysis includes the requirement specification, and designing includes input
and output, implementation includes the development, and maintenance includes the supporting
changes.

Slide11

This slide mainly focused on the identification and explanation of the key phases involved including the
feasibility study, requirement collection, design, implementation, and maintenance in a cyclical and
sequence. The stages are represented through graphical representation. One major activity in each
phase is explained to specify the intention of the respective phase.

Feasibility Study

 Finding the problem and feasible solutions to solve the problem in terms of technical and cost-
effective
 Identification of technical, economic, social, and legal factors

Requirement Analysis

 Utilization of elicitation techniques to find the functional and non-functional requirements

 Elicitation techniques include interviews, questionnaire, documentation, and observation

Designing the system

The design needs to be created for input, output, storage, recovery and backup, security procedures,
and user interfaces

System implementation

It involves four activities including the testing, installation of the new system, development of
documentation, and performing a post-implementation review.

System Maintenance

Maintenance involves in the facilitation of changes as per the user requirements, resolving the problems
not identified through testing, and required improvements in the system.

Slide12

This slide provides a deeper explanation of the activities performed in the system life cycle phases.
Factors studied in each phase are explained with illustrations to understand clearly the system
development activities. Differentiation is shown in every phase activities including the key things
included in the reporting to management to enhance knowledge on the progress of system
development.

The relevance of system engineering into project management

 System
Engieering Project
Management

System engineering has relevance in project management through overlapping in the scope. Even
though no standard relationship is presented between the system engineering and project
management, these can be partially joint, no intersection with each other, and one may act as a subset
of others. A project requires both project management and system engineering practices to associate
the project manager and system engineer to incorporate managerial and technical leadership skills.

Slide13:

This slide is focused on the illustration of the relevance of system engineering activities into project
management. It is intended to discuss whether integration and association of project management and
system engineering are possible or not in the system development activities. It helps to understand how
to associate the project manager and system engineer.

Majorly various factors of system engineering and management are relevant to project and product

Inter-relationships between the process and product

Product planning

Resource management

Stakeholder tracking

Change management

Ease of communication

Product tracking

Risk management
Schedule and budget management

Quality of product

These are essential in both system engineering and project management. But approaches followed are
different.

To study the relevance of system engineering into project management needs to perform the
dimensional analysis. SE methods and processes are compared with project management in various
dimensions and processes such as critical path method, PERT method, Gantt chart, earned value
management, project planning, and product design, dynamic modeling, and scheduling.

Slide14:

This slide provided information on the factors relating to both project management and system
engineering activities. The factors are identified as product planning, budget management, and etc. It is
also explained how the dimensional analysis and project management technologies are helpful in the
comparison of SE and project management to know the relevance.

The goals of project management and system engineering are same but perspective is different

SE perspectives differ with program, portfolio, and PM perspectives

Associating SE with PM helps to focus on both changes required and customer needs

Clarity over the team roles and responsibilities, identification of areas focused, and establishment of
common language are important to associate both.

Combining the processes of both PM and SE is helpful in the management of the costs, time, and quality
of the project outcomes to the stakeholders. An organization needs to focus on the common points
including the concepts, design, and delivery of the system, and support, operation, and disposal
activities by improving the mutual understanding to increase the relevance of SE with PM.

Slide15:

This slide provided an explanation on the key differences presented between the project management
and system engineering in terms of goals and their perspectives to achieve the goals. The goals are
common in both approaches but perspectives differ. It is also discussed the common points presented to
determine the relevance between them.