Engineering a System provides an understanding of the processes and management practices required to deliver complex technical projects on time and within budget, and avoiding many of the failures of the past. The course also introduces tools commonly used in engineering a system, and details how these coexist with other disciplines (particularly project management).
We take a top-down approach that introduces the philosophical aspects of the discipline and provides a framework within which the student can assimilate the associated activities. The framework clearly shows where the multitude of activities involved in engineering a system fit within the overall effort. Without such a reference, the practitioner is left to ponder the plethora of terms, standards and practices that have been developed independently and often lack cohesion, particularly in nomenclature and emphasis.
In line with the top-down approach, this course focuses on the early stages of the system life cycle since the activities in these stages have the greatest impact on the successful acquisition and fielding of a system. The course has a major practical component, which is directed at the conceptual and preliminary design activities.