A critically missing process in many IT projects, especially Agile development projects, are the principles of Systems Engineering. Where I work many times, Systems Engineering dominates the program. Space Flight, Embedded Systems, Software Intensive System of Systems.
In these domains, there are 12 principles, used to increase the probability of os success. These principles come from Section 3.2 of Engineering Elegant Systems: Theory of Systems Engineering, A Whitepaper, Michael D. Watson, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
- Principle 1: Systems engineering integrates the system and the disciplines considering the budget and schedule constraints
- Principle 2: Complex Systems build Complex Systems
- Principle 3: The focus of systems engineering during the development phase is a progressively deeper understanding of the interactions, sensitivities, and behaviors of the system
- Sub-Principle 3(a): Requirements and models reflect the understanding of the system
- Sub-Principle 3(b): Requirements are specific, agreed to preferences by the developing organization
- Sub-Principle 3(c): Requirements and design are progressively defined as the development progresses
- Sub-Principle 3(d): Hierarchical structures are not sufficient to fully model system interactions and couplings
- Sub-Principle 3(e): A Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) provides a structure to integrate cost and schedule with system functions
- Principle 4: Systems engineering has a critical role through the entire system life-cycle
- Sub-Principle 4(a): Systems engineering obtains an understanding of the system
- Sub-Principle 4(b): Systems engineering models the system
- Sub-Principle 4(c): Systems engineering designs and analyzes the system
- Sub-Principle 4(d): Systems engineering tests the system
- Sub-Principle 4(e): Systems engineering has an essential role in the assembly and manufacturing of the system
- Sub-Principle 4(f): Systems engineering has an essential role during operations and decommissioning
- Principle 5: Systems engineering is based on a middle-range set of theories
- Sub-Principle 5(a): Systems engineering has a physical/logical basis specific to the system
- Sub-Principle 5(b): Systems engineering has a mathematical basis
- Sub-Principle 5(c): Systems engineering has a sociological basis specific to the organization
- Principle 6: Systems engineering maps and manages the discipline interactions within the organization
- Principle 7: Decision quality depends on the coverage of the system knowledge present in the decision-making process
- Principle 8: Both Policy and Law must be properly understood to not overly constrain or under constrain the system implementation
- Principle 9: Systems engineering decisions are made under uncertainty accounting for risk
- Principle 10: Verification is a demonstrated understanding of all the system functions and interactions in the operational environment
- Principle 11: Validation is a demonstrated understanding of the system’s value to the system stakeholders
- Principle 12: Systems engineering solutions are constrained based on the decision timeframe for the system need.
