INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING HANDBOOK

A comprehensive reference on the discipline and practice of systems engineering

Systems engineering practitioners provide a wide range of vital functions, conceiving, developing, and supporting complex engineered systems with many interacting elements.

The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Systems Engineering Handbook describes the state-of-the-good-practice of systems engineering. The result is a comprehensive guide to systems engineering activities across any number of possible projects. From automotive to defense to healthcare to infrastructure, systems engineering practitioners are at the heart of any project built on complex systems.

INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook readers will find:
* Elaboration on the key systems life cycle processes described in ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023;
* Chapters covering key systems engineering concepts, system life cycle processes and methods, tailoring and application considerations, systems engineering in practice, and more; and
* Appendices, including an N² diagram of the systems engineering processes and a detailed topical index.

The INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook is a vital reference for systems engineering practitioners and engineers in other disciplines looking to perform or understand the discipline of systems engineering.

History of Changes xi
List of Figures xiii
List of Tables xvii
Preface xix
How to Use This Handbook xxi
1 Systems Engineering Introduction 1
1. 1 What Is Systems Engineering? 1
1. 2 Why Is Systems Engineering Important? 4
1. 3 Systems Concepts 8
1. 4 Systems Engineering Foundations 15
1. 5 System Science and Systems Thinking 21
2 System Life Cycle Concepts, Models, and Processes 25
2. 1 Life Cycle Terms and Concepts 25
2. 2 Life Cycle Model Approaches 33
2. 3 System Life Cycle Processes 39
3 Life Cycle Analyses and Methods 159
3. 1 Quality Characteristics and Approaches 159
3. 2 Systems Engineering Analyses and Methods 192
4 Tailoring and Application Considerations 215
4. 1 Tailoring Considerations 215
4. 2 SE Methodology/Approach Considerations 219
4. 3 System Types Considerations 229
4. 4 Application of Systems Engineering for Specific Product Sector or Domain Application 244
5 Systems Engineering in Practice 261
5. 1 Systems Engineering Competencies 261
5. 2 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 265
5. 3 Systems Engineering Relationships to Other Disciplines 266
5. 4 Digital Engineering 273
5. 5 Systems Engineering Transformation 274
5. 6 Future of SE 275
6 Case Studies 277
6. 1 Case 1: Radiation Therapy-the Therac-25 277
6. 2 Case 2: Joining Two Countries-the Ø resund Bridge 278
6. 3 Case 3: Cybersecurity Considerations in Systems Engineering-the Stuxnet Attack on a Cyber-Physical System 280
6. 4 Case 4: Design for Maintainability-Incubators 282
6. 5 Case 5: Artificial Intelligence in Systems Engineering-Autonomous Vehicles 283
6. 6 Other Case Studies 285
Appendix A: References 287
Appendix B: Acronyms 305
Appendix C: Terms and Definitions 311
Appendix D: N2 Diagram of Systems Engineering Processes 317
Appendix E: Input/Output Descriptions 321
Appendix F: Acknowledgments 335
Appendix G: Comment Form 337
Index 339