9.6.1 Developing Expertise in Systems Engineering: Lessons from Other Disciplines

Much has been written about what systems engineering is, what systems engineers do, what defines competency, and how to teach systems engineering. There has been significant research in other fields about how expertise is developed. This paper reviews key elements of that research and looks at its applicability to systems engineering and how it could be applied to improve the development of expertise in systems engineering. In particular, the role of deliberate practice is investigated and compared to the reliance on experience for development of systems engineers.

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