Exploring the Relationship between Systems Engineering and Software Engineering

Pyster, Art; Adcock, Rick; Ardis, Mark A.; Cloutier, Robert; Henry, Devanandham; Laird, Linda M.; Lawson, Harold W.; Pennotti, Michael; Sullivan, Kevin; Wade, Jon

doi:10.1016/j.procs.2015.03.016

Cited by 21 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…In recent years, INCOSE 2 has promoted an empirical approach to tackle the problems between these two disciplines. For instance, Pyster et al [35] reported on a workshop co-sponsored by INCOSE with 29 professionals from academia and industry described as a "cross section of systems and software engineering community", held to identify said problems, and the challenges created by them. Subsequently, INCOSE approved the charter of the Systems and Software Interface Working group (SaSIWG), and recently published a series of problem-related findings identified through its members interaction [39,40].…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…mechanical, electronic) constituent systems. However, software is now not only pervasive and abundant, but also a critical element of the performance and features offered by most modern engineered systems [17,35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Integration and operational problems in SoS are often linked to inconsistencies or gaps between the system-level and the software-level architectural elements created, respectively, by these two disciplines [12,20]. This seems to be a consequence of the way SE and SWE have evolved over time: starting with common roots but becoming misaligned due to their separate evolutionary paths [35]. The differences in their approaches make the architecture perspectives difficult to synchronize, and as Sheard et al [40] reported, these differences can interfere with each discipline's practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Survey on the Interplay between Software Engineering and Systems Engineering during SoS Architecting

Cadavid

Andrikopoulos

Avgeriou

et al. 2020

Proceedings of the 14th ACM / IEEE International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM)

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Background: The Systems Engineering and Software Engineering disciplines are highly intertwined in most modern Systems of Systems (SoS), and particularly so in industries such as defense, transportation, energy and health care. However, the combination of these disciplines during the architecting of SoS seems to be especially challenging; the literature suggests that major integration and operational issues are often linked to ambiguities and gaps between system-level and software-level architectures. Aims: The objective of this paper is to empirically investigate: 1) the state of practice on the interplay between these two disciplines in the architecting process of systems with SoS characteristics; 2) the problems perceived due to this interplay during said architecting process; and 3) the problems arising due to the particular characteristics of SoS systems. Method: We conducted a questionnaire-based online survey among practitioners from industries in the aforementioned domains, having a background on Systems Engineering, Software Engineering or both, and experience in the architecting of systems with SoS characteristics. The survey combined multiple-choice and openended questions, and the data collected from the 60 respondents were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results: We found that although in most cases the software architecting process is governed by system-level requirements, the way requirements were specified by systems engineers, and the lack of domain-knowledge of software engineers, often lead to misinterpretations at software level. Furthermore, we found that unclear and/or incomplete specifications could be a common cause of technical debt in SoS projects, which is caused, in part, by insufficient interface definitions. It also appears that while the SoS concept has been adopted by some practitioners in the field, the same is not true

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Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Survey on the Interplay between Software Engineering and Systems Engineering during SoS Architecting

Cadavid

Andrikopoulos

Avgeriou

et al. 2020

Proceedings of the 14th ACM / IEEE International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM)

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“…For the scientific community, BOK allows for the widening of the spectrum of research fields based on consensus and highlights similarities between disciplines [65]. For example, BOK highlights techniques used in materials science that are common between chemistry and physics [66].…”

Section: Open Bok Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Open BOK on Software Engineering Educational Context: A Systematic Literature Review

et al. 2020

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In this review, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on Open Body of Knowledge (BOK) is presented. Moreover, the theoretical base to build a model for knowledge description was created, and it was found that there is a lack of guidelines to describe knowledge description because of the dramatically increasing number of requirements to produce an Open BOK, the difficulty of comparing related BOK contents, and the fact that reusing knowledge description is a very laborious task. In this sense, this review can be considered as a first step in building a model that can be used for describing knowledge description in Open BOK. Finally, in order to improve the educational context, a comparison among BOK, structure, and evolution is conducted.

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“…The authors noticed the lack of holistic considerations within SWE in general, especially when the software engineers are not educated in SE. What is interesting according to Pyster et. Al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

‘Echoes from the Field’ Study Outcome and Discussion: Reflections on Software Systems Engineering Practice.

AlQaisi¹,

Gray²,

Moffat³

et al. 2016

INCOSE International Symp

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To date, despite that various software development approaches have evolved and demonstrated success, many software development projects still fail. This paper argues that the reason for such failure is the result of not addressing the human‐side of the Software Systems Engineering (SWSE) adequately. Humans are relatively unpredictable components in the larger system of the sociotechnical environment, therefore requires adequate consideration. The study investigated the experience and perception of software engineers for the contemporary practice of SWSE. A suite of multidisciplinary theories was consulted and adapted to broaden the understanding of the role human‐element plays in SWSE, such as the Knowledge Creation Theory (KCT), Toyota Production System (TPS) known as “Lean” and Emotional Intelligence (EI). An overall conclusion is that SWSE is a human‐centric activity, and its success is heavily reliant on the human‐element and its related social dynamics. The findings can help viewing SWSE from a different prospective that could help improving the practice.

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Exploring the Relationship between Systems Engineering and Software Engineering

Cited by 21 publications

References 2 publications

A Survey on the Interplay between Software Engineering and Systems Engineering during SoS Architecting

A Survey on the Interplay between Software Engineering and Systems Engineering during SoS Architecting

Open BOK on Software Engineering Educational Context: A Systematic Literature Review

‘Echoes from the Field’ Study Outcome and Discussion: Reflections on Software Systems Engineering Practice.

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