ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the nature of engineering design and the methodologies that are used to design enterprise systems. Design is a process whereby a new system is specified to meet a perceived need. To create something new, such as an enterprise, involves not only deciding what to create, but also how to create it. Design problems are really design messes; they are poorly defined, unbounded, vague, and open-ended. Moreover, design teams are always constrained by time, money, and resources. The goal of engineering design methods is to force structure on the design problem so that it can be managed and successfully completed. Moreover, enterprise systems are designed by multidisciplinary teams over a long period of time. Successfully managing projects that involve the work contributions of many different people over a long period of time is a difficult job. Straightforward project management techniques are in general insufficient by themselves. A formal engineering methodology is needed to handle the complexity inherent in any large-scale project of the scope demanded by enterprise system design. In this chapter, we discuss the nature of the design problem faced during an enterprise systems project, and the methodologies, techniques, and the tools that can be brought to bear in completing an enterprise engineering project.
