Moti Frank

Engineering systems thinking and systems thinking

This article deals with the question what distinguishes “engineering systems thinking” from “systems thinking”? Based on research findings, Senges systems thinking laws were “adapted” to the “engineering systems thinking”—some were substantially modified, some replaced, and in some only the phrasing was changed. In addition, new laws were added. Thirty “engineering systems thinking” laws are suggested. The first stage in the development of an engineering curriculum is the analysis of the graduates activities (qualification upon graduation). Therefore, on the practical level, based on the 30 laws, one could design curriculum for constructing “engineering systems thinking” and show on which learning theories or combination of theories should the learning environment be based.

Engineering Systems Thinking: A Multifunctional Definition

This paper asks what ‘engineering systems thinking’ is and seeks to determine what distinguishes it from ‘systems thinking.’ The purpose of the study was to identify the characteristics of engineers who are able to think in the manner we call ‘engineering systems thinking.’ The study seeks to define the term ‘engineering systems thinking’ on a theoretical level and then to move from the theoretical level to the operational level. A thorough understanding of ‘engineering systems thinking’ on both the theoretical and operational levels will prove useful in the design of curricula to improve and develop thinking of this sort. Our study was based on 28 interviews, 14 lectures, and 2 observation sites. This paper treats only the material that pertains directly to engineering systems thinking.

Application of the Total Quality Management Approach Principles and the ISO 9000 Standards in Engineering Education.

SUMMARY The first part of this article deals with the applicability of the total quality management (TQM) definition, the methods principles and the underlying strategy for educational systems. Also discussed are continual improvement methodology, updating of teachers and other personnel members and treatment of the student and industry as customers, as well as other aspects. The second part of the article describes several tools and methods for the implementation of TQM and its suitability for a variety of school activities. The third and final parts of the article present a TQM course outline, combining lectures, discussions, suggested reading, a case study and a final project.

Engineering Systems Thinking: Cognitive Competencies of Successful Systems Engineers

Systems thinking is what makes systems engineering different from other kinds of engineering and is the underpinning skill required to do systems engineering. Engineering Systems Thinking is hypothesized as a major high-order thinking skill that enables individuals to successfully perform systems engineering tasks. First, several SE competency models are presented. Then, the CEST (Capacity for Engineering Systems Thinking) Competency Model is discussed. The model presents list of cognitive competencies that are all related to systems thinking and each one of them can be assessed separately. This paper discusses these cognitive competencies of successful systems engineers.

Toward an Interdisciplinary Engineering and Management of Complex IT-Intensive Organizational Systems: A Systems View

An accelerated scientific, engineering, and industrial progress in information technologies has fostered the deployment of Complex Information Technology (highly dependent) Organizational Systems (CITOS). The benefits have been so strong that CITOS have proliferated in a variety of large and midsized organizations to support various generic intra-organizational processes and inter-organizational activities. But their systems engineering, management, and research complexity have been substantially raised in the last decade, and the CITOS realization is presenting new technical, organizational, management, and research challenges. In this article, we use a conceptual research method to review the engineering, management, and research complexity issues raised for CITOS, and develop the rationality of the following propositions: P1: a plausible response to cope with CITOS is an interdisciplinary engineering and management body of knowledge; and P2: such a realization is plausible through the incorporation of foundations, principles, methods, tools, and best practices from the systems approach by way of systems engineering and software engineering disciplines. Discussion of first benefits, critical barriers, and effectiveness measures to reach this academic proposal are presented.

The relationship among systems engineers' capacity for engineering systems thinking, project types, and project success

In recent years, systems engineering and Project Management Bodies of Knowledge have been rapidly growing. However, despite the vast amount of literature available on systems engineering and project management, about two-thirds of all projects still fail. A review of both project management and systems engineering publications reveals that most of these works focus on processes. We suggest focusing on people—project managers and systems engineers. One of our previous studies dealt with project managers; this article focuses on systems engineers. This article presents findings of a study aimed at exploring the relationship among systems engineers’ capacity for engineering systems thinking (CEST), project types, and project success. The instrument used in this study was a self-report questionnaire, composed of three parts. The first part assessed the participants’ CEST, the second part assessed several measures of project success, and the third part assessed four dimensions of project type. The simple random sampling method was used, and the sample included 114 senior systems engineers who were randomly selected from the sampling frame. The study findings show that there is a statistically significant correlation between CEST and project success. The extent of the projects novelty, complexity, and technological uncertainty are moderator variables that affect this correlation.

What is “engineering systems thinking”?

As technological systems grow larger, more complex, and interdisciplinary, electronics and hi‐tech industries face a growing demand for engineers with a capacity for “engineering systems thinking”. This paper presents a multifunctional definition and 30 laws of “engineering systems thinking”. The definition and the laws are based on a study that its purpose was to identify the characteristics of engineers who are able to think in the manner called “engineering systems thinking”. A thorough understanding of “engineering systems thinking” on both the theoretical and operational levels will prove useful in the design of curricula to improve and develop thinking of this sort.

A framework for benchmarking competency assessment models

This paper discusses the need for competent systems engineers, the differences between nine current ways of assessing competencies competency models and the difficulty of comparing the competency models due to the different ways each model groups the competencies. The paper then introduces a competency model maturity framework CMMF for benchmarking competency models of systems engineers. The paper benchmarks the nine models using the CMMF and a surprising finding was an error of omission in all nine models. The paper shows that the CMMF can also be used as the basis for developing an original model for a specific organization in a specific time and place and concludes with suggestions for future research. ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 15

Jobs requiring a capacity for engineering systems thinking (CEST): Selection using an interest inventory

Systems thinking is recognized as a critical ability for engineers who take a leading role in complex projects. Identifying those engineers with better systems-thinking capabilities is critical in many projects and organizations and enables organizations and project managers to select and place the most suitable engineers for jobs requiring a Capacity for Engineering Systems Thinking (CEST). However, up until now, no tool aimed at assessing individuals’ capacity for engineering systems thinking has ever been developed. This paper presents principles for developing an interest questionnaire aimed at selecting engineers for jobs requiring systems thinking as well as preliminary results regarding the tools reliability and validity.

Learning through business games - an analysis of successes and failures

Purpose – The purpose of this research paper is to explore the interrelations between success in the Business Games course and other MSc courses, and the parameters that influence success in managing firms in business games.Design/methodology/approach – The research sample was comprised of graduate students from the Management of Technology faculty at Holon Institute of Technology. They study courses in the program, including the Business Games course. Special business game software, named Decision Makers, was used for the analyses. Statistical analyses of the interrelations among different program courses cover the main purpose. After defining five success criteria, statistical analyses of success and failure are presented.Findings – In this course, success was generally uncorrelated with other courses. The reason for this was probably due to its project‐based learning (PBL) environment. The study shows that students tend to reduce their efforts across time and improve their performance, due to the “lear...