Systems engineering is a methodical, disciplined approach for the design, realization, technical management, operations, and retirement of a system. A “system” is a construct or collection of different elements that together produce results not obtainable by the elements alone. The elements, or parts, can include people, hardware, software, facilities, policies, and documents; that is, all things required to produce system-level results. The results include system-level qualities, properties, characteristics, functions, behavior, and performance. The value added by the system as a whole, beyond that contributed independently by the parts, is primarily created by the relationship among the parts; that is, how they are interconnected.

Systems engineering is about tradeoffs and compromises, about generalists rather than specialists. Systems engineering is about looking at the “big picture” and not only ensuring that they get the design right (meet requirements) but that they get the right design. Project management can be thought of as having two major areas of emphasis, both of equal weight and importance. These areas are systems engineering and project control. There are areas where the two cornerstones of project management overlap. In these areas, SE provides the technical aspects or inputs; whereas project control provides the
programmatic, cost, and schedule inputs.

System Design Processes: The four system design processes shown are used to define and baseline stakeholder expectations, generate baseline technical requirements, and convert the technical requirements into a design solution that will satisfy the baselined stakeholder expectations.

Product Realization Processes: The product realization processes are applied to each operational/mission product in the system structure starting from
the lowest level product and working up to higher level integrated products.

Technical Management Processes: The technical management processes are used to establish and evolve technical plans for the project, to manage communication across interfaces, to assess progress against the plans and requirements for the system products or services, to control technical execution of the project through to completion, and to aid in the decisionmaking process.

The Project Life-Cycle Phases begins with the formulation phases (Concept Studies., Concept and Technology Development., Preliminary Design and Technology Completion) and Implementation Phases (Final Design and Fabrication., System Assembly, Test, and Launch., Operations and Sustainment., Closeout). Use of the different phases of a life cycle allows the various products of a project to be gradually developed and matured from initial concepts through the fielding of the product and to its final retirement.

From a process perspective, the Product Verification and Product Validation Processes may be similar in nature, but the objectives are fundamentally different. Verification of a product shows proof of compliance with requirements—that the product can meet each “shall” statement as proven though performance of a test, analysis, inspection, or demonstration. Validation of a product shows that the product accomplishes the intended purpose in the intended environment—that it meets the expectations of the customer and other stakeholders as shown through performance of a test, analysis, inspection, or demonstration.

A cost-effective and safe system must provide a particular kind of balance between effectiveness and cost. Design trade studies, an important part of the systems engineering process, often attempt to find designs that provide a better combination of the various dimensions of cost and effectiveness. Costs, the expenditure of limited resources, may be measured in the several dimensions of funding, personnel, use of facilities, and so on. Schedule may appear as an attribute of effectiveness or cost, or as a constraint.