Systems Engineering Seminar

Effective SE Communication through Models and Representations

Presented by:
David Long, President of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)

Tuesday, December 8, 2015, 1:00 pm
Building 3 Auditorium

Abstract:

Models and representations have always been cornerstones of engineering, systems engineering included. Regrettably, rather than bringing clarity, the rise of model-based systems engineering has brought increased confusion and conflict regarding models and representations. Given the inherent breadth of systems engineering as we connect stakeholders and technical experts, we require the richest representation set possible. Rather than engaging in religious wars, we must continuously seek to expand our engineering toolkit to better understand, analyze, and communicate. And we must seek to integrate these seemingly diverse representations as perspectives of an underlying systems model rather than as distinct products and endpoints themselves.

Surveying the multitude of system representations available – SysML and traditional, logical and physical, contextual and technical, systems and beyond – we will connect a diverse set of representations to each other and, most importantly, to the common underlying model. We will highlight various representations, each with their specific content and strengths. These strengths lead to preferred usage contexts and scenarios as part of a continuum of perspectives on the systems model. Leveraging these strengths, we will describe the constructive role these representations can play in a customizable, coherent, and powerful toolkit to address the systems challenges of today.

Biography:

For over twenty years, David Long has focused on enabling, applying, and advancing model-based systems engineering (MBSE) to help transform the state of the systems engineering practice. David is the founder and president of Vitech Corporation where he developed CORE®, a leading systems engineering software environment. He co-authored the book A Primer for Model-Based Systems Engineering and is a frequent presenter at industry events around the world. A committed member of the systems community, David is president of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), a 10,000 member professional organization focused on sharing, promoting, and advancing the best of systems engineering.