System Engineering Management - Tapa dura

System engineering is the application of scientific and engineering efforts to transform a business need into a defined system configuration through the top-down process of requirements, definition, functional analysis, allocation synthesis, design optimization, test and evaluation. The systems engineering process, in its evolution of functional detail and design requirements, has as its goal the achievement of the proper balance between operational, performance, economic and logistics factors. This volume contains: coverage of different types of systems, particularly in the defence/commercial/private sectors; discussion of requirements analysis; emphasis on "open-architecture" approach to design of the functional analysis and requirements allocation process; coverage of the integration of software into the system engineering and software development process; the use of simulation methods, and rapid prototyping in the coverage of the integration of system test and evaluation into the system engineering process; concurrent engineering focus on the design integration process; international aspects and impacts of the selection and management of suppliers; increased coverage of technical performance measures (TPMs); and the concepts behind Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) and Integrated Process Team (IPT).

BENJAMIN S. BLANCHARD is Professor Emeritus of Industrial and Systems Engineering, consultant, and former Assistant Dean of Engineering for Public Service at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.