Systems Engineering and Project Management: Points of Intersection, Overlaps, and Tensions

Abstract

There are significant Points of Intersection and Overlaps between Project / Program Managers (PMs) and the Chief Systems Engineer (CSE) / Systems Engineers (SE). In some projects, the PM is the Technical Lead, or the CSE is the PM, regardless of Role, the project leader is responsible for project success through adherence to the Golden Triangle. However, if Roles and Responsibilities are not clearly defined early in the project lifecycle when both professions are present, this can lead to unproductive tensions between PMs and the CSE that can be an impediment to project / program performance. Key sources of unproductive tensions are the lack of integrated planning, lack of or unclear communications, unclear definition roles and authority, and conflicting practices between the two overlapping roles. We address relevant causes of unproductive tensions, highlight the importance of collaboration between project management and systems engineering, describe the points of intersection and overlaps in the core competencies between the disciplines, as described by their respective profession organizations (PMI & INCOSE), and explore the Overlaps between the educational curricula for an M.S. in Project Management and an M.S. in Systems Engineering. We then suggest promising practices for enhancing effective integration between the two disciplines with the aim of improving project and program performance.