Complexity in a Systems Engineering Organization: An Empirical Case Study

Gilbert, Dawn; Yearworth, Mike

doi:10.1002/sys.21359

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Moreover, what counts as a reasonable approach to defining system complexity depends on what type of system of interest (SoI) is being considered; is it limited to the technical system(s) being developed and deployed , or does it also include the systems of processes and resources that are involved in developing and deploying such technical systems ? 35 Is the project that strives to realize the system under consideration? 36–39 Does it include the processes of utilizing the system once deployed or the user's perceptions of how complex the system is (e.g., how familiar users of the system are with important features of the system)? 40,41 What is the boundary of the SoI; is it the physical context of the implemented system or does it also include the more extended strategic/business context? 42–46 While several approaches purport to provide a quantitative measure of the complexity of a system, they more realistically provide a quantitative measure of the complexity of a particular representation of a system (i.e., a particular view on the architecture of a system) 25,26,47–50 . A distinction is also required between the complexity of a representation of a system (i.e., the structural complexity of a system architecture) and the qualitative perceived and observer‐dependent complexity of the system 25,26,40 .…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assaying the importance of system complexity for the systems engineering community

Potts

Sartor

Johnson

et al. 2020

Systems Engineering

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How should organizations approach the evaluation of system complexity at the early stages of system design in order to inform decision making? Since system complexity can be understood and approached in several different ways, such evaluation is challenging. In this study, we define the term “system complexity factors” to refer to a range of different aspects of system complexity that may contribute differentially to systems engineering outcomes. Views on the absolute and relative importance of these factors for early–life cycle system evaluation are collected and analyzed using a qualitative questionnaire of International Council on Systems Engineers (INCOSE) members (n = 55). We identified and described the following trends in the data: there is little between‐participant agreement on the relative importance of system complexity factors, even for participants with a shared background and role; participants tend to be internally consistent in their ratings of the relative importance of system complexity factors. Given the lack of alignment on the relative importance of system complexity factors, we argue that successful evaluation of system complexity can be better ensured by explicit determination and discussion of the (possibly implicit) perspective(s) on system complexity that are being taken.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assaying the importance of system complexity for the systems engineering community

Potts

Sartor

Johnson

et al. 2020

Systems Engineering

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“…Wildly divergent definitions of "complexity" have emerged; it has no singular meaning [8,9]. Applying such a broad topic as complexity to the equally common topic of Systems Engineering is extremely difficult [10].…”

Section: Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Affecting Systems Engineering Complexity During Developmental Phase: Systems Practitioners, Developers, and Researchers’ Perspectives

Ibrahim¹,

Mahmoud²,

Ali³

2020

IJIRMPS

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The Systems Engineering design process is challenged to deliver successful complex systems in multidisciplinary and heterogeneous components. Growing human needs and evolving society bring ever greater challenges in the formation of a complex and large engineered system. System complexity is related to lots of parts and large size of the system when there is difficulty in understanding how the system works or in predicting the consequences of any change that may affect the process and systems develop itself. The leadership is performing an important role to manage a complex system. Leaders should be able to set back from immediate focus and look at the desired big picture. In practice, many factors contribute to Systems Engineering complexity in this review. This study intends to explore and analyze the complexities and the factors that contribute to the complexity of the Systems Engineering design approach. The data in this study were collected systematically from several electronic scholarly databases, including the ISI Web of Science, Scopus, Wiley Online Library. This study quantified the challenges and causes of the Systems Engineer complexity. Then, the challenges were categorized into two groups, managerial and technical causes. Ultimately, seven Systems Engineering complexity factors were identified, and their impact on the Systems Engineering processes was ranked using the Pareto principle. Among the factors, rapidly emerging technology was the most significant factor contributing to Systems Engineering complexity.

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The main project complexity factors and their interdependencies in defence projects

Rezende¹,

Denicol²,

Blackwell³

et al. 2022

Project Leadership and Society

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Complexity in a Systems Engineering Organization: An Empirical Case Study

Abstract: General rightsThis document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available:

Cited by 7 publications

References 20 publications

Assaying the importance of system complexity for the systems engineering community

Assaying the importance of system complexity for the systems engineering community

Factors Affecting Systems Engineering Complexity During Developmental Phase: Systems Practitioners, Developers, and Researchers’ Perspectives

The main project complexity factors and their interdependencies in defence projects

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