ABSTRACT
Modern systems engineering emerged during World War II as, due to the degree of complexity in design, development, and deployment, weapons evolved into weapon systems. This chapter describes systems theory in a general sense followed by its application in systems engineering and some practical examples and implementations of the process. Systems engineering depends on the use of a process methodology based on systems theory. To deal with the complexity of large projects, systems theory breaks down the process into logical steps. A systematic approach to systems engineering will include elements of systems theory. Five categories of interacting system elements can be defined: equipment, software, facilities, personnel, and procedural data. One of the systems engineer’s most important contributions is the ability to identify and meet the needs of the customer and do it within the project budget. The need for a project may originate with customers, management, operations staff, technicians, or engineers.
