3-Day Systems Engineering Fundamentals Course

1. Introduction

This live online 3-day course focuses on the concepts, principles and practices of Systems Engineering to give attendees both understanding and specific knowledge to apply Systems Engineering to the design of complex systems.

Three-quarters of the 3-day course will be devoted to processes and tools that will allow attendees to:

• Gather and specify Stakeholder Requirements.
• Analyse the “problem” described by the Stakeholder Requirements to determine the System Requirements.
• Design the system to meet requirements through the exploration of technological and architectural choices. Undertake detailed design to specify the robust optimum.
• Confirm the engineering activity and solution through verification and validation.

Underpinning the “how to do” Systems Engineering content are two sessions that explain the rationale for Systems Engineering together with an examination of the Systems Thinking concepts that are the foundation of and the core competence of Systems Engineering. These sessions provide the necessary knowledge to understand the structure and logic of Systems Engineering.

With the Kolb learning cycle as the learning philosophy, a significant proportion of the course is set aside for exercises to reinforce the learning. A realistic case study is used to provide a practical focus for the course and enables the attendees to practise the tools and processes presented.

2. Purpose and Objectives of the 3-Day Systems Engineering Fundamentals course:

Purpose

To give attendees the understanding, overview and specific knowledge of how to apply Systems Engineering to the design of complex systems.

Benefits

• Have a greater understanding of Systems Engineering concepts, principles and practice

• Have greater expertise and experience in doing Systems Engineering

Deliverables

At the end of the course, Attendees will have:

• A greater understanding of systems concepts and thinking that underpin Systems Engineering

• A profound understanding of the fundamental Systems Engineering processes

• Improved knowledge and skill in applying Systems Engineering tools to:

• Gather and Analyse Requirements

• Create System Concepts

• Optimize Systems Design and subsystem specification

• Confirm through Verification and Validation

Measures of Success

• Recognize the need for, and adopt, a systems approach to the design of systems

• Begin to apply the principles and tools in their work to the design of complex systems

• Reduce re-design

3. Course Content

Day 1

• Course Introduction, Aims and Agenda

• Why Systems Engineering?

- Complexity and Undesirable Emergence

• Systems Thinking Concepts used in Systems Engineering

• This is Systems Engineering

- Process

- People

- Tools

• A Systems Approach to Requirements

- Requirement issues

- Requirement Models

- Requirements Engineering

• Gather Requirements

- A Systems Approach to Collecting

- Stakeholder Needs – the Rationale and Process

Day 2

• Review of Day 1

• Specifying Stakeholder Requirements

• Analyse Requirements

- Analyse Stakeholder Requirements

• Analyse Requirements

- Deducing Unspoken Basic Requirements using Viewpoint Analysis

• Analyse Requirements

- Understanding the concept of operation using Functional Modelling

• Analyse Requirements

- Finding and avoiding undesirable behaviour using Sensitivity and Failure Analysis

• Specifying System Requirements

Day 3

• Review of Day 2

• A Systems Approach to Systems Design

• Design System

- Generating System Concepts

- System Architecting using N2 Analysis

- Concept Generation using Morphological Analysis

• Design System

- System Concept evaluation and selection using a Pugh Matrix

• Design System

- A Systems Approach to Detailed Design

- Introduction to Robust Design

• Confirm System

- A Systems Approach to Verification and Validation

- Design Verification through Quality Function Deployment

- Determination Testing

- Progressive Validation

• Summary, Review and Close

4. Who is the course for?

The 3-day course is aimed at:

• Individuals who are new to Systems Engineering and want an overview combined with practical and applicable knowledge and skills
• Experienced individuals who have had limited formal Systems Engineering training and/or want to be exposed to new tools and processes
• Anybody interested in exploring different perceptions and practice of Systems Engineering

5. Who is delivering the course?

The 3-Day course will be delivered by one of the three of BHW’s most experienced Tutors:

Dr Stuart Burge

Dr John Weaver

Keary Birch