Abstract:
This book has two primary objectives: (1) to define and describe the essentials of project and systems engineering management, and (2) to show the
relationship and interconnection between project management and systems
engineering.
The subject of project management is well-trodden territory and is explored
at considerable length in numerous books. Systems engineering, though,
is not as well known, as measured perhaps by the literature that describes
and supports it. However, this literature has clearly been on the upswing as
the need for systems engineering has been increasing and expanding. Like
project management, systems engineering deals with a variety of methods for
designing and building a system that are largely independent of the domain
itself. Slowly, but noticeably, systems engineering is finding its way into a
greater number of college curricula and taking its place alongside the more
traditional engineering disciplines, such as electrical engineering, mechanical
engineering, chemical engineering, and the like.
More often than not, systems engineering is carried out in the real world in
the context of a project. In a typical scenario, a company might set up a project
whose basic purpose is to design and build some type of system. Thus, there is
almost always a strong connection between project management and systems
engineering, whether it is formally recognized or not. Many students have
asked about this sometimes murky connection during my courses in systems
engineering. They want to know more about how systems engineering fits
into the structure of a project and its various management-oriented tasks
and activities. These que
