Chapter 7

Solving the Problem Completely, in a Coherent and Optimal Manner 1

“Nothing is so productive of elevation of the mind as to be able to examine methodically and truly every object which is presented to you in life, and always to look at things to see at the same time what kind of universe this is, and what kind of use everything performs in it, and what value everything has with reference to the whole, and what with reference to man…”

Marcus AURELIUS Meditations, Book III-11

The sequence of technical processes in systems engineering allows us to transform a situation of dissatisfaction, moving from a problem in a given context to the response in the form of an architectural solution. This solution is obtained through the work of a multi-disciplinary team.

Marc and Roger must both direct the technical activities of various individuals with the aim of constructing a coherent and optimal global solution. This means that, at any given moment and as far as possible, the team should share a unique and coherent view of the solution being constructed, and any activity carried out should add to and develop this solution to bring it closer to the final target.

In implementing and directing technical activities in the context of a systems engineering approach, Marc must attempt to:

– Take an iterative and incremental approach: an optimal solution will not be produced all in one go. However, iterations should converge rapidly to the “right” solution. For this to be possible, a certain ...

Get Complex Systems and Systems of Systems Engineering now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.