Practical Creativity and Innovation in Systems Engineering

Part IISystems Engineering

“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.”

Mark Twain (1835–1910)

2.1 Introduction to Part II

The assumption embodied in this book is that there are sufficient books and other means from which to learn about system engineering, i.e. the author expects readers to be reasonably familiar with this art. The key motivation for including Part II in this book is to launch systems engineers onto the focal point of this book, namely, Part III: Creative Methods and Part IV: Promoting Innovative Culture. This is done by characterizing some basic systems engineering concepts and then providing a condensed and abridged description of systems life cycle processes as defined in the International Standard ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288.¹ Each life cycle process is then associated with a specific set of recommended creative methods, exemplifying potential benefits that systems engineers may attain by using creative methods.

Among others, standard 15288 provides a total of 30 processes covering the life cycle of virtually any engineered system. These processes are applicable at the system level and express a coherent and cohesive set that satisfies a variety of needs. In addition, the standard provides conformance criteria that users can easily understand and apply. Finally, the standard supports tailoring by adding or subtracting processes or their constituents, making these processes widely applicable, yet adaptable to individual needs. ...