9.1.1 Systems Engineering and Project Management Intersects and Confusion

Abstract Commonalities, differences, and confusion between the top level Systems Engineering, Systems Engineering Manager, and the Project/Program Manager views are explored based on the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) and Project Management Institute (PMI) process basis for Systems Engineering and Project Management certifications with an undercurrent of four initial factors that are observed to cause conflicts and confusion between the disciplines in the real world. The certification sources, the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook (SEHBK) which is aligned with ISO/IEC 15288, and the PMI Body of Knowledge (PMBoK), are the certification sources that guide Systems Engineers and Project Managers in their quest for credentials and on‐the‐job influence. These intersects are expected to work in concert, yet in real life, the interaction often results in mismatched expectations and confusion as to who has the responsibility for each process/knowledge area, in part due to mismatched certification bases. Recommendations are provided for initial alignment of the disciplines.