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Abstraction |
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The ability of engineers to think of design concepts that are not dependent on specific solutions. |
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Boundary |
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A separation between the interior of a system and what lies outside. |
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Context |
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The users, other systems and other features of the environment of the system that the system will interact with. |
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Customer |
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The organization or individual that has requested (and will pay for) a product or service. |
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Engineering |
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The application of scientific principles to practical ends. |
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Feedback |
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Information about the output of a system that can be used to adjust it. |
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Gantt Chart |
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A project management tool in the form of a bar chart showing the start and finish dates of activities. |
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Input |
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A material, service or support item that is processed by the system. |
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Interdisciplinarity |
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People from different disciplines working together to design systems. |
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Lifecycle |
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Important phases in the development of a system from initial concept through design, testing, use, maintenance, to retirement. |
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Mission |
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An undertaking that is supported by the system to be designed to be successful (e.g. space mission). |
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Optimization |
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The process of choosing the best alternative that will satisfy the needs of the stakeholders under the constraints given (e.g. cost, schedule and available technology). |
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Output |
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What is produced by a system. |
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Process |
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A set of activities used to convert inputs into desired outputs. |
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Project |
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An activity having goals, objectives, a beginning and an end. |
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Requirement |
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A statement of required behavior, performance and other characteristics of the system to be developed. |
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Risk Management |
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A process of identifying what can go wrong and making plans that will enable a system to achieve its goals. |
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Specifications |
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The technical requirements for systems design. |
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Stakeholder |
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An individual or group affected in some way by the undertaking. Stakeholders are valuable sources for requirements. |
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System |
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A set of interrelated components working together to produce a desired result. |
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Systems Approach |
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The application of a systematic disciplined engineering approach that considers the system as a whole, its impact on its environment and continues throughout the lifecycle of a project. |
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System Design |
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The identification of all the necessary components, their role, and how they have to interact for the system to fulfill its purpose. |
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System Integration |
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The activity of integrating all the components of a system to make sure they work together as intended. |
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Systems Engineering |
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The orderly process of bringing a system into being using a systems approach. |
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Trade-off |
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losing one quality or aspect of something in return for gaining another quality or aspect. |
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Value |
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The benefit enjoyed by the stakeholders of the system when the system is in operation. |
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Validation |
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Testing to insure that the created system actually provides the value intended to its stakeholders. (Did we build the right system?). |
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Verification |
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The process of proving that a finished product meets specifications and requirements. (Did we build the system right?) |
