15. Operational Excellence, Take 2

The Engine in Systems Engineering

The primary engine of systems engineering, that is, the main thing that makes systems engineering, systems engineering, is a process called synthesis. Synthesis is the process of

• Bringing all the pieces together

• Making them work well with one another

• Making adjustments so that the overall end result meets desired outcomes

A particular distinction of systems engineering is the notion that—perhaps counterintuitively—the system is not optimized by the creation and assembly of optimized components. In fact, the opposite is true. Recall the earlier explanation in the Chapter 2 section, “A Few Words about Systems Engineering.”

Each component of the system in isolation from the ...

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