Interdisciplinary specification of products, services and production systems

Systems engineering (SE) is an approach to developing complex technical systems and is increasingly spreading from the aerospace industry to other sectors such as the automotive industry. It pursues an interdisciplinary approach that encompasses all development activities and places the multidisciplinary system at the centre. It emphasises a holistic view of the problem in order to coordinate the players in the development of complex systems and integrates system design and project management.
 

The basis of the SE concept is the problem-solving process, which is determined by both system design and project management. While system design focuses on the problem itself and finding a solution, project management ensures the successful completion of projects from an organisational perspective. The aim is to develop a system architecture that determines downstream development activities.

The SE way of thinking forms the conceptual framework of systems engineering. Systems thinking helps to understand, structure and ultimately design complex interrelationships and systems. The system is analysed from different perspectives and described using different levels of abstraction depending on the problem and situation. The SE process model provides recommendations and guidelines for structuring the solution finding process into manageable sub-processes.