The Paradoxical Mindset of Systems Engineers
Uncommon Minds, Skills, and Careers
Wiley Series in Systems Engineering and Management
1. Auflage November 2018
272 Seiten, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Weitere Versionen
A guide that explores what enables systems engineers to be effective in their profession and reveals how organizations can help them attain success
The Paradoxical Mindset of Systems Engineers offers an in-depth look at the proficiencies and personal qualities effective systems engineers require and the positions they should seek for successful careers. The book also gives employers practical strategies and tools to evaluate their systems engineers and advance them to higher performance. The authors explore why systems engineers are uncommon and how they can assess, improve, and cleverly leverage their uncommon strengths. These insights for being an ever more effective systems engineer apply equally well to classic engineers and project managers who secondarily do some systems engineering.
The authors have written a guide to help systems engineers embrace the values that are most important to themselves and their organizations. Solidly based on interviews with over 350 systems engineers, classic engineers, and managers as well as detailed written career descriptions from 2500 systems engineers -- The Paradoxical Mindset of Systems Engineers identifies behavioral patterns that effective systems engineers use to achieve success. This important resource:
* Offers aspiring systems engineers practical methods for success that are built on extensive empirical evidence and underlying theory
* Shows systems engineers how to visually document their relative strengths and weaknesses, map out their careers, and compare themselves to the best in their organizations - a rich set of tools for individuals, mentors, and organizations
* Offers practical guidance to managers and executives who lead systems engineering workforce improvement initiatives
Written for systems engineers, their managers, business executives, those who do some systems engineering but primarily identify with other professions, as well as HR professionals, The Paradoxical Mindset of Systems Engineers offers the most comprehensive career guidance in the field available today.
Acknowledgments xv
Foreword xvii
Preface xxi
1 Paradoxical Mindset 1
What is Systems Engineering? 3
Being a Systems Engineer 4
Book Structure 5
Career Development "Ecosystem" for Systems Engineers 10
A Short Summary of the Helix Project 10
Vignettes 13
Notes and References 13
2 Six Uncommon Values 15
The Parable of the Three Stonecutters 15
What is Greatness, Anyhow? 16
Value 1: Keep and Maintain The System Vision 19
Value 2: Translate Technical Jargon Into Business or Operational Terms and Vice Versa 23
Value 3: Enable Diverse Teams to Successfully Develop Systems 26
Value 4: Manage Emergence in Both the Project and the System 29
Value 5: Enable Good Technical Decisions at the System Level 31
Value 6: Support the Business Case for the System 34
How Others View Systems Engineers 36
Notes and References 37
3 Fifteen Roles 41
Roles Focused on the Systems Being Developed 44
Roles Focused on Systems Engineering Process and Organization 47
Roles Focused on Teams that Build Systems 49
Relationship between Roles and Values 51
Art Pyster at Digital Sound Corporation 51
Systems Engineers Often Perform Management Roles 53
Seniority 54
Three Systems Engineers with Increasing Seniority 65
Notes and References 69
4 A Systems Engineer's Proficiencies 73
Engineering Proficiency Cluster 76
Systems Proficiency Cluster 83
Professional Proficiency Cluster 93
Example Positions 104
Systems Engineers are Pi-Shaped 106
The Whole Package 109
Notes and References 110
5 Hidden in Plain Sight 113
Case 1: Japanese Bullet Train: Fast, Frequent, Safe, and Punctual 114
Case 2: Boeing 777: Maintaining the Vision from Start to End 119
Case 3: Healthcare.gov: Disastrous Start, Incredible Recovery 127
Notes and References 131
6 Proficiency Profiles 133
Assessing Proficiency 137
Exemplar and Recommended Proficiency Profiles 141
Aggregate Proficiency Profiles 141
Notes and References 142
7 Three Forces 145
Force 1: Experiences 147
Force 2: Mentoring 153
Force 3: Education & Training 158
Force Multipliers 160
Notes and References 170
8 Successful Careers 173
Nicole Hutchison Grows into a Systems Engineer 175
Two Datasets about Senior Systems Engineers 177
Four Questions 180
The Education of Systems Engineers 181
The Experiences of Chief Systems Engineers 187
Cathy's Career Revisited 195
Career Maps for Pyster and Hutchison 197
Notes and References 199
9 Secondarily a Systems Engineer 201
Classic Engineers 203
Program and Project Managers 212
Notes and References 218
10 Thrive 219
Looking Ahead 220
How a Junior or Mid-Level Systems Engineer Can Thrive 223
How a Classic Engineer, Who is Secondarily a Systems Engineer, Can Thrive 223
How a Manager of Systems Engineers Can Thrive 228
How an Executive Can Thrive 229
Closing Thoughts 229
Notes and References 232
Appendix Biographical Sketches of Quoted Systems Engineers 233
Glossary and Acronyms 237
Index 241
NICOLE HUTCHISON, PHD, is a principal investigator and researcher in the Systems Engineering Research Center at Stevens Institute of Technology.
DEVANANDHAM HENRY, PHD, is an assistant professor at Regent University where he leads the systems engineering program.
