A pragmatic representation of systems engineering based on technological learning

Abstract

Summary form only given,as follows. In this paper, the authors make the argument that the apparent tendency for large engineering projects to produce other than intended results stems not from the particulars of the projects but, more basically, from representing them as overly simplified, highly linear, and often hyper-rational schemes to begin with. As anyone who has applied systems dynamics will recognize, even linear relationships lead to nonlinear behavior when feedback is included. The paper argues that the practice of reliability engineering, logistics engineering and systems engineering generally, rather than being bad engineering or bad application of good engineering, can instead be reformulated as an ongoing sensemaking activity embedded in an adaptive social process. When so viewed, what presently appear to be perverse outcomes are, instead, natural and expected, potentially even managed. They begin with three mini-case studies that will serve as archetypes for three fairly common results. The three cases are unexpected opportunity, failure then success, and technophobia. Each case study has two parts. In the first part we present the specifics of the case in abbreviated form. In the second part of each case, they place what happened within a common conceptual framework. In the second part of the paper, they expand on the common conceptual framework and discuss some of the implications for systems engineering.