Advanced systems thinking, engineering, and management / Derek K. Hitchins.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hitchins, Derek K.

Contributor:

Alumni and Friends Memorial Book Fund.

Series:

Artech House technology management and professional development library

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

System analysis.

Industrial management.

Technological complexity.

Physical Description:

xv, 469 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Boston, MA : Artech House, 2003.

Summary:

Advanced Systems Thinking, Engineering, and Management offers a comprehensive understanding of systems ideas and methods, showing professionals in a wide range of high-tech fields how to conceive, design and manage a systems engineering process for optimal results and goal attainment. The book is filled with examples and case studies from a wide range of areas, from integrated transport systems, security systems, defense procurement, to missile defense architectures, famine relief, and managing markets. This innovative reference introduces a generic systems lifecycle theory that helps readers understand how systems form, persist and decay, and presents a 5-layer classification for systems engineering. Professionals discover how to use a generic reference model that allows systems of all types to be addressed within a common framework. The book also serves as an excellent textbook for undergraduate courses in this area.

Contents:

Part I Systems Philosophy, Systems Science 1

Chapter 1 The Need for, and Value of, Systems 3

The Book as a System 3

Origins of Systems Science 3

A Mechanistic World 3

Perceived Limitations in the Traditional Sciences 4

Life and the Second Law 5

Information and Entropy 5

Causality and Teleology 6

Concept of Open Systems 6

General Systems Theory 6

Identifying and Defining a System 8

Basic System Models 8

Fundamental System Constructs 23

Definitions and Justification 25

Systems Principles 26

Classifying Systems 27

Classifying Systems by Complexity 29

Classifying Systems by Morphology 29

Classifying Systems by Behavior 38

Chapter 2 Measure for Measure 45

Measuring Value 45

Measuring Properties, Capabilities, and Behaviors 49

Trade-offs 49

Limitations 50

Entropy 53

System Efficiency 54

System Effectiveness 56

Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Entropy 56

Genetic Algorithmic Methods of Adjustment 57

Optimizing Measures 58

Value for Money, and Cost Effectiveness 58

Cost Exchange Ratios 59

Casualty Exchange Ratios 60

Chapter 3 The Human Element 64

Categorization 64

Motivation, Instinct, and Inheritance 65

Intelligence and Behavior 66

Belief Systems 68

Resistance to Change 70

Decision Making 71

Perceived Entropy Reduction 73

Chapter 4 Systems Engineering Philosophy 75

Holism and Emergence 75

Problem Solving 78

Perceptions of Connectedness 79

Systems of Systems 80

Bottom-up Integration 81

Systems of Systems: Volume Supply 83

Systems of Systems in Defense 84

Systems Engineering Philosophy in Methods 88

Chapter 5 A Theory of Complexity 91

Characterizing Complexity 91

Elaboration 93

Encapsulation 95

Variety 97

Minimum Variety 97

Useful Variety 98

Limited Variety 99

Generation of Variety 100

Energy as a Source of Variety 101

Open Systems Interactions 101

Chapter 6 Systems Life Cycle Theory 107

The Seven Principles of Open Systems 107

The Principle of System Reactions 107

The Principle of System Cohesion 108

The Principle of System Adaptation 109

The Principle of Connected Variety 109

The Principle of Limited Variety 111

The Principle of Preferred Patterns 111

The Principle of Cyclic Progression 112

Synthesizing the System Life Cycle 112

Applying Life Cycle Theory 115

Economic Systems 115

Political Systems 116

Business Systems 117

Organizational Systems 117

Changing System Behavior 118

Predicting System Behavior 118

Systems Engineering 119

Chapter 7 The Social Genotype 123

Change and the Social Genotype 124

Quantifying the Social Genotype 125

Change by "Budding Off" 127

Progressive Conversion 127

Continuous Revolution 128

The Military and the Social Genotype 129

Systems Engineering and the Social Genotype 129

Part II Systems Thinking 131

Chapter 8 Tools and Methods for Systems Thinking 133

About Systems Thinking 133

Facing Up to Our Real, Nonlinear, Dynamic World 133

Chaotic Perspectives 135

Minimalist Behavioral Systems Thinking 136

Causal Loop Modeling 137

Promoting Completeness with CLMs 140

Patterns in CLMs 142

N[superscript 2] Charts 143

The Hand-Drawn Tool 143

Encapsulation and Elaboration 146

Dynamic N[superscript 2] Charts 147

Automating the N[superscript 2] Chart 147

Interpretive Structural Modeling 148

R-Nets 151

Behavior Diagramming 153

Soft Methods 155

Soft Systems Thinking 155

The Soft Systems Methodology 156

The Rigorous Soft Method 157

The TRIAD Building System 161

The Generic Reference Model 163

Characterizing a System 163

Being 165

Doing 165

Thinking 169

Synthesizing the Whole GRM from the Parts 171

Using the Generic Reference Model 173

Nonlinear Dynamic System Synthesis 175

Chapter 9 System Thinking at Work: Case Studies 181

The Doctors' Surgery 182

Hospital Waiting Time 185

Societal Power 187

National Energy Strategy 190

The Symptoms 192

Bringing the Imbalanced Implicit Systems Together 196

Assessment 198

Options for Addressing the Issue 200

Conclusion to RSM Issue Development 203

The Railway Dilemma 203

Stakeholder Analysis 203

The Railway 204

Computing Integrity 205

Crime Management 209

Crime and Punishment 209

Proactive Policing 211

Police Test Bed 215

A Different Approach to Policing 217

Defense Acquisition 219

Cold War Inheritance 219

A Changing World 220

U.K. Defense Procurement 222

COTS Procurement Behavior Diagram 226

Building Pyramids 227

Architectonics: The Study of Architecture 230

Systems Engineering: The Costs of Rework 236

Part III Systems Engineering 243

Chapter 10 System Concept and Design 245

System Solutions 245

Creating Solution Concepts 246

Developing Concepts: The TRIAD Building System 248

Developing System Concepts: The Seven-Step Continuum 254

The Far Side: Case Study 257

System Design 265

Design for Operation 268

Scenario-driven Design 268

CONOPS 268

Industrial Design Paradigms 270

Design for Availability 272

Design for Maintenance 274

Designing Open, Interactive Systems 276

Design Capability Ratcheting 279

Operational Design Approach 280

Evaluating and Optimizing Military Capability 282

Advanced Design Methods 297

Famine Relief 297

Afghanistan 301

Chapter 11 Classification of Systems Engineering 309

Extending System Useful Life 310

Characterizing Systems Engineering 311

The Five-Layer System Structure 312

Level 1 Artifact Systems Engineering 314

Level 2 Project Systems Engineering 315

The Classic Systems Engineering Procedure 315

Process-Oriented Systems Engineering 317

Goal-Oriented Systems Engineering 321

Unprecedented Systems Engineering 323

Level 3 Business Systems Engineering 323

Evolutionary Systems Engineering 325

Level 4 Industry Systems Engineering 326

Mass Production 326

Lean Volume Supply Systems Engineering 328

Comparing Mass Production and Lean Volume Supply 330

Nesting at Levels 2, 3, and 4 333

Level 5 Socioeconomic Systems Engineering 334

Science-based Systems Engineering 336

Chapter 12 From Systems Thinking to Systems in Operation 343

Systems Thinking: About Systems Engineering 343

Beyond Technology 343

Always Two Systems: Creating and Created 344

Identifying the Stream 347

The Source 347

Partitioning the Stream 349

Confluence 351

The End-to-End Life Cycle Process 354

Outline Level 2/3: Conceptual Process 354

The Systems Engineering Shadow-board 356

System-level Elaboration and Specification 357

Integration, Test, and Proving 358

Focusing Developing Emergent Properties 359

Systems Engineering Goals and Objectives 360

Developing Structural Support 363

Process Resourcing 363

Understanding the Process as a System 364

Calibrating the Creating System 367

Tailoring the Systems Engineering Process 369

Accommodating Legacy and Change 369

Police Information System 370

The New Interceptor 371

Chapter 13 Operational Systems Engineering 375

Operational Maintenance Systems 378

Underground Railways 384

Heijunka 386

Market Systems Engineering 388

Socioeconomic Systems Engineering: Level 5 390

Social Capital 392

Historical Systems Engineering at Level 5 393

Part IV Systems Management and Organization 397

Chapter 14 Managing Systems 399

The Need for Management 399

Management by Control 401

The "Control Freak" 402

Management by Incentive 403

Management by Competition 405

Organized Management Systems 406

Organized Creating Systems 406

Tensions within Organizations 407

Organized Military C[superscript 2] 410

Government C[superscript 2] 411

Systems Organization at Industry Level 4 412

Creating the Culture 413

Project Management Versus Systems Engineering 414

To Phase or not to Phase 416

Stages and Phases 416

Phased Defense Procurement 417

Elicitation and Requirements 418

Managing Customer Control 420

Specification Trees 421

Looking the Gift-Requirement in the Teeth 422

Project Versus Functional Versus Matrix Organization 423

Organizational Paradigms 423

Dynamics of Organizational Change 425

Maintaining the Edge 426

Chapter 15 Societal Systems Evolution 431

Outcome as the Measure of Systems 431

Social Engineering 432

The Outlook 437

Increasing Population 437

Spreading Concrete 438

Atmospheric Pollution 439

Fresh Water Shortages 439

Energy Shortages 440

System Thinking: Societal Evolution 440

Mountain Retreats 441

Island Communities 442

Littoral Enclaves 443

Submersible Cities 445

Pursuing the Goal 447

Appendix A Configuration Entropy as a Useful Measure of Systems 449

Measuring N[superscript 2] Charts 449

Scoring N[superscript 2] Charts 450

Minimizing N[superscript 2] Chart Entropy 450

Practical Example of Entropy Measurement and Reduction 452

Measuring Process Entropy 453

Appendix B Set Theoretic Proof of Method: Rigorous Soft Method 459

Diagrammatic Representation 459

Set Theory Proof of Rigorous Soft Method 460.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Alumni and Friends Memorial Book Fund.

ISBN:

1580536190

OCLC:

52357717