From Artisans to Mass Production – Systems Engineering in the Enterprise
When we understand systems thinking as thinking in scenarios and systems engineering as manipulating scenarios in a controlled way by inventing and applying tools, systems engineering is ubiquitous in innovative human endeavours. In consequence, systems engineering is a must in every kind of enterprise from start-ups to major production companies.
However, the way systems engineering is applied varies. Artisans will practice more implicit forms of systems engineering and large enterprises more explicit ones. This presentation considers five stages of enterprises: the single artisan workshop, artisans in manufacturing, mass production, mass production in saturated markets, and enterprises in the context of changing societal, economic, and technological architectures.
The evolution of systems engineering is interwoven with the evolution of workshare, specialisation, and standardisation. We will follow-up the transition from implicit to explicit forms of systems engineering, systems engineering focus changes, and the emergence of systems engineering as multidisciplinary endeavour in accordance with the current understanding of systems engineering.
The conclusion is a strong plea for the importance of sound systems engineering approaches to cope with today’s societal challenges by enterprises and beyond.
Dieter Scheithauer provides systems engineering support services under the brand name H·I·T·S Engineering. He has lifetime experience in the field of automatic control, with the development of high-integrity technical systems including safety critical flight control systems, and defining, implementing and executing effective and efficient systems engineering processes.
He graduated as Diplom-Ingenieur in 1980 and received a doctor’s degree (Dr.-Ing.) in 1987, both at the Universität der Bundeswehr München. He is a former president and an honorable member of GfSE e.V. – The German Chapter of INCOSE. He became an INCOSE CSEP in 2010, and an INCOSE ESEP in 2012.