A Process Description for a New Paradigm in Systems Engineering

Abstract System Engineering usually has a key technical responsibility on systems acquisition projects. The activities normally viewed as systems engineering include Mission Requirements Analysis, Functional Analysis, Requirements Allocation, Synthesis, Optimization and Specification. This is insufficient in practice. There is a lot of confusion over the relationship of systems engineering functions to the life cycle of system development effort. The National Council on Systems Engineering's (NCOSE) national Systems Engineering Process Description Working Group (SEPWG) has been chartered to prepare a description of systems engineering to clarify its roles. The SEPWG has determined that a new way of thinking about systems engineering is needed. This new paradigm includes understanding of two levels to systems engineering; considering all systems engineering customers; and learning and applying systems engineering to projects. This SEPWG Chair Report identifies some of the problems facing systems engineering, addresses the other development participants with whom Systems Engineers must work, and identifies the overall activities and processes in each aspect of systems engineering as used throughout the system life cycle. This report establishes a “sense of the SEPWG” baseline for efforts still underway for the NCOSE interest group members supporting the SEPWG.