Systems Design

Catalog description

Systems engineering, principles, practices, and applications of systems engineering in analysis, design, development, integration, verification and validation of complex systems. EDSGN 558 Systems Design (3) The course is intended for engineering students who aspire to careers in systems design and those who wish to broaden their knowledge so as to address systems problems. The principal objectives of this course are: (1) to bring systems theory, systems thinking, systems engineering, and systems management together into a single framework and to integrate them such that successful system design is possible; and (2) to immerse the student in the principles, practices, and application of systems engineering through selected readings, textbook study, lectures, and homework assignments and as members of a multidisciplinary systems development team on a systems design project. The course is designed to immerse students in the principles, practices and application of systems engineering within the design, development, integration and deployment of complex systems. Students will learn the special functions and responsibilities of systems engineers in comparison to analysts, design specialists, test engineers, project managers and other members of the systems development teams. They will acquire the knowledge, skills and mindset necessary to be successful as part of a major system development project and will acquire the leadership, problem-solving and innovation skills necessary for success. The objective of this course is to immerse traditional engineering students in the principles, practices, and application of systems engineering and design through selected readings, textbook studies, lectures, homework assignments, and a team design project. This course begins with an overview of systems engineering as a discipline, which prepares the student for the course topics/modules that follow. The course addresses the "hows" and "whys" of systems analysis, design, and development. Students will: 1) learn how to bridge the gap between capturing user needs and the development of systems by honing skills in the technical activities of systems analysis, systems design, and systems development; 2) learn how to translate abstract visions of the stakeholders and users into a language of specifications, architectures, and designs to direct the system hardware and software development activities resulting in a system that satisfies user needs without latent defects, delivered on schedule, within budget, and profitable for the developing entity; 3) acquire an understanding of systems engineering as a problem-solving solution development discipline that requires a comprehensive understanding of how to analyze systems and how systems are organized, structured, defined, and employed by the user; and, 4) apply the knowledge gained from these lessons toward the analysis, design, and development of a system as members of a multi-disciplinary team.