7 PRINCIPLES OF SYSTEM ENGINEERING

DEFINITION OF PRINCIPLE
Definition as per the Oxford dictionary:
A fundamental or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour or a chain of reasoning.

Definition as per the Pearson American dictionary:

A fundamental source or basis of something

For this assignment principle is defined as per the Pearson dictionary.

PRINCIPLE 1-HOLISM
Principle 1: The system must be considered as a whole. While a system might be part of a larger system, a system must constitute a whole.
The fundamental basis for systems engineering is the focus of the system as a whole. It is the vital cornerstone of system thinking. Ref: System Engineering Principles and Practice, 2nd ed; Kossiakoff A, Sweet WN, Seymour SJ, Bremer SM; Wiley; 2011.

PRINCIPLE 2- PROBLEM DEFINITION AND SOLVING

Principle 2: In systems engineering the problem must be assessed, analysed and then clearly defined, before systems engineering can be undertaken.
Defining and detailing problems is the key starting point within systems engineering. If this is ignored, then what follows is already compromised. Ref: The Engineering Design of Systems: Models and Methods, 2nd Ed; Buede DM; Wiley;

PRINCIPLE 3- ABSTRACTION
Principle 3: In order for systems engineering to be effective with large complex systems abstraction is required. Abstraction is vital to dealing with complexity. The use of modelling in systems engineering is an application of the use of abstraction in systems engineering, and makes it possible to handle large complex systems.

Ref: System Engineering Principles and Practice, 2nd ed; Kossiakoff A, Sweet WN, Seymour SJ, Bremer SM; Wiley; 2011.

PRINCIPLE 4- CRITICAL THINKING

Principle 5: Critical thinking must be applied throughout systems engineering . If problem definition is the starting point for systems engineering, critical thinking is the foundation on which it is built. Critical thinking should be employed at each point in systems engineering. Ref: System Engineering Principles and Practice, 2nd ed; Kossiakoff A, Sweet WN, Seymour SJ, Bremer SM; Wiley; 2011.

PRINCIPLE 5- LIFE CYCLE

Principle 5: In order for the systems engineering to meet stakeholders requirements, the life cycle of the system is vital to the understanding of the system. The life cycle of the system determines how systems engineering will be applied to the system.

Ref: The Engineering Design of Systems: Models and Methods, 2nd Ed; Buede DM; Wiley;

PRINCIPLE 6- CONTEXT
Principle 6: Any system must be dealt with in the context where it exists. The system must be taken in its context. This will aid in defining the boundaries of the system. Ref: System Engineering Principles and Practice, 2nd ed; Kossiakoff A, Sweet WN, Seymour SJ, Bremer SM; Wiley; 2011.

PRINCIPLE 7- INTEGRATION
Principle 7: Integration is the means through which large systems are engineered, and must be guided by systems engineering. In order to engineer large complex systems, a system engineer must be able to see the big picture where many elements integrate to form the large complex system.

Ref: System Engineering Principles and Practice, 2nd ed; Kossiakoff A, Sweet WN, Seymour SJ, Bremer SM; Wiley; 2011.