Systems Engineering Fundamentals

by U.S. Department of the Army

This book provides a basic, conceptual-level description of engineering management disciplines that relate to the development and life cycle management of a system. For the non-engineer it provides an overview of how a system is developed. For the engineer and project manager it provides a basic framework for planning and assessing system development.Information in the book is from various sources, but a good portion is taken from lecture material developed for the two Systems Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering courses offered by the Defense Acquisition University.The book is divided into four Introduction; Systems Engineering Process; Systems Analysis and Control; and Planning, Organizing, and Managing. The first part introduces the basic concepts that govern the systems engineering process and how those concepts fit the Department of Defense acquisition process. Chapter 1 establishes the basic concept and introduces terms that will be used throughout the book. The second chapter goes through a typical acquisition life cycle showing how systems engineering supports acquisition decision making.The second part introduces the systems engineering problem-solving process, and discusses in basic terms some traditional techniques used in the process. An overview is given, and then the process of requirements analysis, functional analysis and allocation, design synthesis, and verification is explained in some detail. This part ends with a discussion of the documentation developed as the finished output of the systems engineering process.Part three discusses analysis and control tools that provide balance to the process. Key activities (such as risk management, configuration management, and trade studies) that support and run parallel to the system engineering process are identified and explained.Part four discusses issues integral to the conduct of a systems engineering effort, from planning to consideration of broader management issues.In some chapters supplementary sections provide related material that shows common techniques or policy-driven processes. These expand the basic conceptual discussion, but give the student a clearer picture of what systems engineering means in a real acquisition environment.

967 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 2013

About the author

The Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Army is the Federal Government agency within which the United States Army is organized, and it is led by the Secretary of the Army who has statutory authority 10 U.S.C. § 3013 to conduct its affairs and to prescribe regulations for its government, subject to the limits of the law, and the directions of the Secretary of Defense and the President.

The Secretary of the Army is a civilian official appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The highest-ranking military officer in the department is the Chief of Staff of the Army, who is also a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Other senior officials of the Department are the Under Secretary of the Army (principal deputy to the Secretary) and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army (principal deputy to the Chief of Staff.)

The Department of War was originally formed in 1789 as an Executive Department of the United States, and was renamed by the National Security Act of 1947 to the Department of the Army on September 18, 1947. By amendments to the National Security Act of 1947 in 1949, the Department of the Army was transformed to its present-day status.