Systems Engineering for the Digital Age

Chapter 34Central Challenges in Modeling and Analyzing Enterprises as Systems

William B. Rouse

McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

Introduction

The technology and organizational trends outlined in this chapter pose substantial challenges for systems engineering and management. Many of these challenges involve information and knowledge management. Addressing these challenges will require many of the concepts, principles, methods, and tools discussed in other handbook chapters. It will also require new paradigms not discussed in these chapters.

These challenges were first outlined in the 1st edition of the Handbook of Systems Engineering and Management (Sage and Rouse, 1999) and then extended in the 2nd edition (Sage and Rouse, 2009). This chapter represents the elaboration of the 3rd generation of these challenges, with an additional 12th challenge. It is clear that progress has been made, but that elements of these challenges remain. Indeed, some of the challenges have worsened.

Systems Modeling

Our methods and tools for modeling, optimization, and control depend heavily on exploiting problem structure. Understanding the relationships and constraints underlying problem structure enables predicting system behaviors, as well as potentially controlling these behaviors. Decomposing problem structure, associating first principles with the elements resulting from this decomposition, and then recomposing these principles into an overall ...