System engineering is the application of engineering principles to the design, development, deployment, and maintenance of systems. Systems are typically composed of hardware and software components for a particular domain such as process control or telecommunications. The system engineer will take an existing system and enhance it with new features or improve its performance by making changes to its architecture. System engineers work in various industries, including aerospace, defense, healthcare, automation, and energy production. This post provides an overview for those looking to enter this exciting field of System Engineering Life Cycle!
So what is system engineering? A succinct definition of system engineering can be found in IEEE Standard 610.12-1990, which defines it as applying "engineering principles to design, develop, deploy and maintain systems." However, this brief description doesn't tell you much about how these processes work or when they occur during a project's timeline. Here are some additional definitions from different sources that might help:
"Systems Engineering includes all those activities concerned with converting technical knowledge into products; managing each stage of development through its conclusion; ensuring that quality standards are maintained at every step by providing an integrated management program for conformance control."
"The goal of System Engineering is to create robust designs where the complete system is more reliable and easier to manufacture, operate, and install in the field."
"Systems engineering has been used as a term since WWII. NASA uses it often, explaining that systems engineering is "the application of knowledge of management science and computer technology applied to problems of formulating multidisciplinary design requirements for complex or costly projects." One such project was building the Saturn V rocket, which required input from many different fields."
The System Engineering Process is a systematic and structured approach to designing, developing, testing, maintaining, and retiring. It has been developed by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) in order to ensure that projects are successful from start to finish. There are many other benefits associated with using this process as well. One such benefit is cost reduction which can be achieved through better use of resources throughout the life cycle of the system being designed. Another advantage is increased reliability because fewer errors are made during development when following this methodical process due to all of its checkpoints included at different stages.