The document summarizes a presentation on systems engineering and technical leadership given at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid on May 22, 2017. It discusses systems engineering as an interdisciplinary approach that requires technical leadership to integrate different skills and address increasingly complex problems. It also examines the skills and career path of systems engineers, including their roles in facilitating collaboration and enabling successful project outcomes through systems thinking.
1. Systems Engineering
The Art of Gluing Pieces
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Madrid, Spain, 22th May 2017
Bernardo A. Delicado
INCOSE Institute for Technical Leadership
Bernardo.Delicado@incose.org
7. 7
About me
INCOSE’s Vision 2025 identifies the
development of Systems Thinking
and Technical Leadership as one of
seven key areas of Systems
Engineering Competencies
@incose
39. Systems
39
Seeing the world in a particular way, because how you see
things affects the way you approach situations or undertake
specific tasks.
Systems connotes the whole, the
combination of many parts, a grouping of
humans and machines, the assembling
together of components to accomplish a
task.
@ramo
43. Creating Systems that work :
Principles
1. Debate, define, revise and pursue the purpose
2. Think holistic
3. Follow a systematic procedure
4. Be creative
5. Take account of the people
6. Manage the project and the relationships
43
( The UK Royal Academy of Engineering , 2007)
44. Creating Systems that work :
Principles
1. Debate, define, revise and pursue the purpose
2. Think holistic
3. Follow a systematic procedure
4. Be creative
5. Take account of the people
6. Manage the project and the relationships
44
My personal view in terms of
maturity level
@bernardo
47. 47
It’s not that I’m so smart. But
I stay with the questions
much longer.
Albert Einstein
48.
49. Problem Space vs Solution Space :
Keeping Separate is Critical
49
Problem
Space
Systems
QUESTIONS
Solution
Space
Technologies &
Products
ANSWERS
It is all about needs
It is all about the offerings
that satisfy needs
50. Creating Systems = Battle
50
Conceive Design Implement Operate
PROBLEM PROBLEM PROBLEM PROBLEM PROBLEM
Problem Solving Method = Systems Engineering
78. The Systems Approach
78
@ramo
The systems approach then implies much
more than technology. It leans on
interdisciplinary teams. " Interdisciplinarians"
are "generalists" who can bring together
the skills and contributions of the specialists
and create a unifying and integrating
team.
81. We are not robots, processes are only a
good check-list to be followed
@bernardo
Systems engineering not only
processes
82. The engineer of the future…
82
..should possess strong analytical skills like engineers of
yesterday and he/she should exhibit practical ingenuity,
creativity in terms of invention, innovation and thinking outside
the box, communication skills, business and management
skills, leadership, a high ethical standard, professionalism,
dynamism, agility, resilience, flexibility, and lifelong learning.
The new engineer is thus a ‘‘T-shaped’’ person whose
‘‘vertical’’ domain specialization (the ‘‘I-shaped’’) is
integrated by a set of horizontal strategic skills and
competencies referred to Business Management, Professional
skills and Entrepreneurial attitudes.
( Secundo et al, 2013 )
83. Top 10 Skills in 2020
83
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
People Management
Coordinating with Others
Emotional Intelligence
Judgment and Decision Making
Service Orientation
Negotiation
Cognitive Flexibility
88. Technical Systems Leadership
88
Being the technical systems leader is a tall
challenge, a tremendous opportunity, and an
extremely rewarding endeavor.
• Comfort in dealing with complexity
• Capability to make decisions under uncertainty
• Ability to motivate and inspire individuals and teams
98. Conclusions
• Complexity needs Systems Engineering
• Leadership is the art of gluing things.
• Systems Engineers facilitate the glue
therefore they are leaders.
• Systems Engineering is a profession with
future in the new industrial revolution.
98
102. References
• Bechtold, Jochen ; Kern, Andreas; Lauenstein, Christoph ; Bernhofer, Lena ( 2014 ), “Industry 4.0 - The
Capgemini Consulting View: Sharpening the Picture beyond the Hype”, Capgemini Consulting.
• Blanchard , Benjamin ; Fabrycky ,Wolter (2010) “ Systems Engineering and Analysis”, ISBN-13: 978-
0132217354
• Dawes, Steve; Malleson, Steve ( 2010 ), “ SE Market Survey Findings – What the survey tells us about the
UK Systems Engineering Community”, INCOSE UK Ltd, October 2010.
• Gelosh, Don S. ( 2014 ), “Empowering Business Growth through Systems Engineering Leadership and
Innovation”, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA
• Patrick Godfrey ( 2016 ), ” Building a Technical Leadership Model”, INCOSE International Symposium, 26:
757–772. doi:10.1002/j.2334-5837.2016.00191.x
• Patton, Jeff (2014), “User Story Mapping”, Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., ISBN: 978-1-491-90490-9
• Pflaeging, Niels ( 2014), “Organize for Complexity: How to Get Life Back Into Work to Build the High-
Performance Organization, BetaCodex Publishing, 2014, ISBN-10: 0991537602
• Ramo, Simon ; St.Clair, Robin K. (1998), “ The Systems Approach : Fresh Solutions to Complex Problems
Through Combining Science and Practical Common Sense”, Kni Incorporated, California
• Salado, Alejandro ( 2013) , “Problems during system integration: When architecture and contracts
meet”, KSEE 2013 - Kongsberg systems engineering event.
• The UK Royal Academy of Engineering ( 2007), “Creating systems that work: Principles of engineering
systems for the 21st century”, ISBN: 1-903496-34-9
102