Practical Creativity and Innovation in Systems Engineering

Practical Creativity and Innovation in Systems Engineering

by Avner Engel
Released October 2018
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781119383239

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Book description

A guide to systems engineering that highlights creativity and innovation in order to foster great ideas and carry them out 

Practical Creativity and Innovation in Systems Engineering exposes engineers to a broad set of creative methods they can adopt in their daily practices. In addition, this book guides engineers to become entrepreneurs within traditional engineering companies, promoting creative and innovative culture around them.

The author describes basic systems engineering concepts and includes an abbreviated summary of Standard 15288 systems’ life cycle processes. He then provides an extensive collection of practical creative methods which are linked to the various systems’ life cycle processes. Next, the author discusses obstacles to innovation and, in particular, how engineers can push creative ideas through layers of reactionary bureaucracy within non-innovative organizations. Finally, the author provides a comprehensive description of an exemplary creative and innovative case study recently completed.

The book is filled with illustrative examples and offers effective guidelines that can enhance individual engineers’ creative prowess as well as be used to create an organizational culture where creativity and innovation flourishes. This important book:

  • Offers typical systems engineering processes that can be accomplished in creative ways throughout the development and post-development portions of a system's lifetime.
  • Includes a large collection of practical creative methods applicable to engineering and other technological domains
  • Includes innovation advice needed to transform creative ideas into new products, services, businesses and marketing processes
  • Contains references and notes for further reading in every section

Written for systems engineering practitioners, graduate school students and faculty members of systems, electrical, aerospace, mechanical and industrial engineering schools, Practical Creativity and Innovation in Systems Engineering offers a useful guide for creating a culture that promotes innovation. 

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Preface
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. Part I: Introduction
    1. 1.1 Introduction to Part I
    2. 1.2 Systems Engineering
    3. 1.3 Creative Methods
    4. 1.4 Promoting Innovative Culture
    5. 1.5 Creative and Innovative Case Study
    6. 1.6 Back Matter
    7. 1.7 Bibliography
  5. Part II: Systems Engineering
    1. 2.1 Introduction to Part II
    2. 2.2 Basic Systems Engineering Concepts
    3. 2.3 Standard 15288 Processes
    4. 2.4 Philosophy of Engineering
    5. 2.5 Bibliography
  6. Part III: Creative Methods
    1. 3.1 Introduction to Part III
    2. 3.2 Divergent Methods for Individuals
    3. 3.3 Divergent Methods for Teams
    4. 3.4 Convergent Methods for Individuals
    5. 3.5 Convergent Methods for Teams
    6. 3.6 Other Creative Methods
    7. 3.7 Bibliography
  7. Part IV: Promoting Innovative Culture
    1. 4.1 Introduction to Part IV
    2. 4.2 Systems Evolution
    3. 4.3 Modeling the Innovation Process
    4. 4.4 Measuring Creativity and Innovation
    5. 4.5 Obstacles to Innovation
    6. 4.6 Promoting Organization’s Innovative Culture
    7. 4.7 Pushing Creative Ideas by Individual Engineers
    8. 4.8 Human Diversity and Gendered Innovation
    9. 4.9 Cognitive Biases and Decision‐Making
    10. 4.10 Bibliography
  8. Part V: Creative and Innovative Case Study
    1. 5.1 Introduction to Part V
    2. 5.2 A Problem Seeking a Solution
    3. 5.3 Gaining Deeper Insights
    4. 5.4 Project Planning
    5. 5.5 The AMISA Project
    6. 5.6 Architecture Options Theory
    7. 5.7 Architecture Options Example
    8. 5.8 AMISA – Endnote
    9. 5.9 Bibliography
  9. Appendix A: Life Cycle Processes versus Recommended Creative Methods
  10. Appendix B: Extended Laws of Technical Systems Evolution
    1. B.1 Law 1: System Convergence
    2. B.2 Laws 2 to 7: Systems Merging
    3. B.3 Law 8: Flow Conductivity
    4. B.4 Laws 9 to 14: Enhanced Coordination
    5. B.5 Law 15: Controllability
    6. B.6 Law 16: Dynamization
    7. B.7 Law 17: Transition to Super System
    8. B.8 Law 18: Increasing System Completeness
    9. B.9 Law 19: Displacement of Human
    10. B.10 Law 20: Uneven System Evolution
    11. B.11 Law 21: Technology General Progress
  11. Appendix C: List of Acronyms
  12. Appendix D: Permissions to Use Third‐Party Copyright Material
    1. D.1 Part I: Introduction
    2. D.2 Part II: Systems Engineering
    3. D.3 Part III: Creative Methods
    4. D.4 Part IV: Promoting Innovative Culture
    5. D.5 Part V: Creative and Innovative Case Study
    6. D.6 Appendices
  13. Wiley Series in Systems Engineering and Management
  14. Index
  15. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Practical Creativity and Innovation in Systems Engineering
  • Author(s): Avner Engel
  • Release date: October 2018
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119383239