an Industrial Myth of Systems Engineering
“Complex electro-technology references create an industrial myth that systems engineering is only applicable to electro-technology systems that include embedded software.”
Systems Engineering practitioners often refer to advanced and emerging technology systems to extol the benefits of systems engineering. Whilst this is the root of systems engineering practice, it is not always a helpful way of explaining what systems engineering is, particularly when we want to sell it for use in other application contexts. Complex electro-technology references create an industrial myth that systems engineering is only applicable to electro-technology systems that include embedded software. Systems engineering, in fact, provides useful, practical tools and methods to assure successful integration of technology[1] with people. Any system must provide desirable and usable functions, for the people that use it, if not it will be changed or ditched, either way is an expensive waste of effort.
Systems engineering methods and tools enable analysis and exploration of the complex to take us on a journey to the complicated. Probing to identify the yet unknown link between cause and effect because we, the people involved, have never done this before. Systems engineering is a tool kit to help assure that the people get the functionality out of the system that they want. Successful system integration is measured by integration with people, not the integration of technology products.
Ordered systems use well proven technology configured against a basis of existing rules and procedure with a standardised set of rules and procedures for operating and maintaining the technology, probably good practice engineering management and project management is adequate to assure integration. These ordered systems are sometimes simple, often complicated systems, but not complex. If we use systems engineering, we might try to redesign what already works and waste a lot of effort to come up with a solution that is not conceptually different. These ordered systems might use sophisticated technology only understood by experts, but they are ordered because at the system level they are well understood by experts, the possible solutions are known and practiced.
Complex systems or complex interfaces are unordered, those with novelty or uncertainty in the solution to provide the desired functionality. Changing things for people, their way of use or working, is an indicator of a complex rather than complicated, or if we are integrating elements of the operational system that have not been integrated before need a different approach, it needs an emergent, novel not yet practiced solution.
There is increased delivery risk in the use of techniques proven successful in realising the complicated, engineering management or project management, in the context of complex; these are tools for managing schedule, cost, and quality. Using tools for managing the complicated when things are still complex is a set likely to result in chaos because we are putting our efforts into delivering something for which there is no baseline common understanding of what we are trying to achieve. There are still too many opinions and not enough facts to assure that that we will get the right outcome.
Assuring the integration of new or conceptually changed systems or interfaces needs exploration of the complex to gain an understanding that allows us to define it as ordered (complicated) for delivery by experts. If we are still exploring solutions then we are unsure where we are headed, we are in the domain of the complex, systems engineering methods are advised as a way of assuring certainty from the careful exploration that will define holistic functional, physical, and logical elements of the system for integration with the people who use, operate, and maintain the system.
[1] Technology in the broadest sense application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.
[2] Cynefin - Weaving Sense-Making into the Fabric of Our World