Essentials of Project and Systems Engineering Management Third Edition

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