9.2.3 Standardized Process as a Tool for Higher Level Systems Thinking

Standardized processes are being used to address three issues in engineering today: increasing system complexity; shifting demographics; and longer development cycles that result in a dearth of experiential learning for young engineers. There is obvious value in having engineers who can see the big picture and effectively broker design tradeoffs: engineers capable of systems thinking. However, what is the impact of standardized processes on the ability of teams of engineers to make these critical tradeoffs? This paper lays the groundwork for research investigating ways in which standardized process usage facilitates or hinders systems thinking within engineering teams—termed collaborative systems thinking.

[1]  P. Senge.  THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE , 1997 .

[2]  James R. Armstrong,et al.  Overcoming barriers to systems engineering process improvement , 2000 .

[3]  Emes,et al.  Systems engineering management , 2004 .

[4]  Titus Corlățean,et al.  [The future is knowledge]. , 2006, Revista de enfermeria.

[5]  Eric Rebentisch,et al.  Challenges in the better, faster, cheaper era of aeronautical design, engineering and manufacturing , 2000, The Aeronautical Journal (1968).

[6]  L.J. Leifer,et al.  Engineering design thinking, teaching, and learning , 2005, IEEE Engineering Management Review.

[7]  Deborah Nightingale,et al.  Lean Enterprise Value , 2002 .

[8]  Jeff Loren.  USAF Systems Engineering -- Revitalizing Fundamental Processes , 2004 .

[9]  David Harris.  Supporting human communication in network‐based systems engineering , 2001 .

[10]  Heidi L. Davidz,et al.  Enabling systems thinking to accelerate the development of senior systems engineers , 2008, Syst. Eng..

[11]  Richard A. Newman.  Issues in defining human roles and interactions in systems , 1999 .

[12]  S. Spear,et al.  Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System , 1999 .

[13]  Moti Frank,et al.  Engineering systems thinking and systems thinking , 2000 .

[14]  William B. Rouse,et al.  A theory of enterprise transformation , 2005, 2005 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics.

[15]  Stephen B. Johnson,et al.  Three Approaches to Big Technology: Operations Research, Systems Engineering, and Project Management , 1997, Technology and Culture.

[16]  A. Strauss,et al.  The Discovery of Grounded Theory , 1967 .

[17]  P.A. Jansma,et al.  Advancing the practice of systems engineering at JPL , 2006, 2006 IEEE Aerospace Conference.

[18]  Lorraine Pajerek.  Processes and organizations as systems: when the processors are people, not pentiums , 2000 .

[19]  Debra L. O'Connor,et al.  The Conceptual Framework of Factors Affecting Shared Mental Model. , 2004 .

[20]  A. Strauss,et al.  Basics of Qualitative Research , 1992 .

[21]  D. Dougherty.  Understanding New Markets for New Products , 2007 .