1. BKCASE Workshop VI
Tuesday 12 April
SEBOK Part 2
Rick Adcock (Lead)

2. SEBOK Part 2: Systems Author Team Part 2 team
Terms, concepts and ideas that reflect the current body of knowledge about Systems. Note: This is distinct from the principles and practices for how to engineer systems (i.e. systems engineering).
Author Team
Rick Adcock, Nicole Hutchision
Brian Wells, Scott Jackson, Sandy Friedenthal, Cihan Dagli (active since Workshop V)
Erik Aslasken, Bud Lawson, Richard Beasley

3. Purpose Part 2 of the SEBoK contains the following:
The purpose of Part 2 within the SEBoK is to give a guide to foundation systems knowledge which can be used to
Provide the context within which the scope and value of Systems Engineering can be described (in SEBoK Part 1)
Provide the Systems foundations of Systems Engineering Practices (in SEBoK Part 3)
Provide the challenges for Systems Engineering Deployment (in SEBoK Part
Part 2 of the SEBoK contains the following:
Terms, concepts and ideas that reflect the current body of knowledge about Systems. Note: This is distinct from the principles and practices for how to engineer systems (i.e. systems engineering).
The systemic issues and challenges arising when we think about systems in the realworld (associated with technology, finance, people, organisations, society, etc)
The languages, notations and models used to represent systems and systemic issues
The key System Principles, based on this system knowledge, which form the basis of the Systems Approach to complex problems

4. Deliverables by end of March
Review Comments:
Quick look, to help validate P2 structure
Allocation to new Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 (accept comments from them)
Initial responses
Create Part 2 Top down Structure
Agree KA and Topics (Wiki articles?)
Write “1-2 page” overview for each KA
include key sources
Identify key links
Create a Part 2 terminology list, terms we want to define in P2 and have everyone use
Populate Part 2 bottom up (as time allows)
Review 0.25 material, what do we keep?
Begin to populate in detail

5. Adjudication of review comments
Clean up results of quick look complete
Of the original 723 comments assigned to Part 2
306 comments requiring action.  
The others were either "noted", "declined",
or allocated to other parts (211 of these, including those where we "copied" other parts for awareness but kept the comment for Part 2--these are flagged).
The 306 have been allocated to Part 2 KA’s marked as (General, Overview, Types, Challenges, Models, Principles and unallocated).
Detailed adjudication will be done at and after the April workshop

6. Consolidated Comments
The following general themes came out of the review, to be considered as you look at topics
“There is a need for a clearer logic to, and for links between, the parts of the SEBoK”
“The sections on System are abstract and academic.
You need to be clear why systems knowledge is being included in the SEBoK and what use it is to Systems Engineers….”
“… and to show the link between systems thinking and Systems Engineering.”
“The first chapters have to much detail and are hard to read; but the detail contain is all mostly relevant and needed”
“Include some better examples, but don’t agree with the examples used”
“Don’t use none standard ideas, stick to the common one, but different ideas of what common is”
Some paradoxes to sort through!!!

7. Knowledge Areas Overview of Systems – Erik\Rick
Overview of the Systems BoK
System Principles – Rick\Scott
Key Principles (relevant to SEBOK)
Types of Systems – Brian
Focus on Engineered System
Representing Systems with Models – Sandy
Models for different system types
Systems Approach – Scott
Approach to problem resolution
Systems Engineering Challenges – Cihan
Systemic Challenges to SE
Part 2 Glossary – Nicole
System Terms relevant to whole SEBOK

8. Knowledge Areas Each author to produce following for their KA:
An Introduction to the KA (section n.1)
A set of topics, for each topic
brief description of each sub topic (key issues, links, risks, questions)
Key reference sources and critical terms for sub topic (if appropriate)
Candidate content (from 0.25 or else where if available)
Topics will be expanded into sub topics as needed down to single WIKI articles
e.g. 3-5 pages, a single digestible bites of info.

10. KA 1: Overview of Systems
1.1 Introduction
1.2 What is a System?
a collection of elements (Product)
a means to achieve an outcome (Service)
everything related to a purpose (Enterprise)
1.3 System Context
System of Interest/wider system
System of Systems
1.4 Overview of System Science
Key Authors and references
1.5 System Perspectives
System metaphors
Complexity/chaos
People in systems

11. KA 2: Systems Principles
2.1 Introduction
A set of key system principles of value to Systems Engineering
2.2 The Principle of Holism
2.3 The Principle of Grouping
2.4 The Principle of Functions
2.5 The Principle of Interactions
2.6 The Principle of Boundaries
2.7 The Principle of Cohesion
2.8 The Principle of Emergence
2.9 Additional Principles

12. KA 3: Types of System 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Classifications of Systems
Classification Methods
Man-made versus Natural Systems
3.3 Engineered Systems
Product Systems and Service Systems
Dynamic and Static Systems
Simple and Complicated Systems
System Hierarchies
3.4 Groupings of Systems
Systems of Systems (SOS)
Federation of Systems
Families of Systems
Enterprise Systems
3.5 System Domains
Types of Domains – by environment, by technology, by area of application

13. KA 4: Representing Systems with Models
4.1 Introduction
4.2 What is a model
Definitions, Syntax, semantics, well formed models
4.3 Why model
Different purposes and uses of a model
Measuring the goodness of a model
4.4 Types of models
Taxonomy of models
Relationship among models (or integrating models)
4.5 Representing Systems with a System Model
Views and viewpoints
Typical system views (behaviour, structure, properties, ..)
Model abstractions
4.6 Modelling Standards

14. KA 5: Systems Approach 5.1 Overview 5.2 Establishing Stakeholder value
5.3 Identification of the Elements of a System
5.4 Grouping of Elements
5.5 Identification of the Boundary of a System
5.6 Identification of the Function of Each Element
5.7 Identification of the Interactions among the Element
5.8 Synthesis of the System
5.9 Proving the System
5.10 Incremental Problem Resolution

15. KA6: System Engineering Challenges
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Complex System Architecting Challenges
6.3 Attributes of Complex Systems Architectures
6.4 Dynamically Changing Meta-Architectures
6.5 Interoperability and Network Centric Architectures
6.7 Evolutionary System Architecting
6.8 Executable Architectures

16. Potential “Primary References” (Top 5)
Ackoff, R. L Towards a system of systems concept. Management Science 17 (11): 671.
Aslaksen, E.W The changing nature of engineering. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Blanchard, B. S., and W. J. Fabrycky Systems engineering and analysis. Prentice-hall international series in industrial and systems engineering. 4th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA: Prentice-Hall. (Key-sf)
Boardman, J., and B. Sauser Systems thinking: Coping with 21st century problems. 1st ed. Boca Raton, FL, USA: Taylor & Francis.
Checkland, P. B Systems thinking, systems practice. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Flood, R. L., and E. R. Carson Dealing with complexity: An introduction to the theory and application of systems science. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Plenum Press.
Forrester, J. W Collected papers of Jay W. Forrester. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: Pegasus Communications.
Hitchins, D What are the General Principles Applicable to Systems? Insight. International Council on Systems Engineering.
Giachetti, R. E Design of enterprise systems: Theory, architectures, and methods. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press.
Kasser, J Holistic thinking and how it can produce innovative solutions to difficult problems. Paper presented at 7th Bi-annual European Systems Engineering Conference (EuSEC), May 2010, Stockholm, Sweden.
Senge, P. M The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization.
Edson, R Systems thinking. applied.: A primer. Arlington, VA: Applied Systems Thinking (ASysT) Institute, 2008.
von Bertalanffy, L General system theory: Foundations, development, applications. Revised ed. New York, NY: Braziller.
Wasson, C. S System analysis, design and development. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

17. Glossary abstraction behavior boundary chaos closed system complexity
complicated system
dynamic system
emergence
enterprise system
Environment
function
family of systems (FoS)
hard system
hierarchy
model
natural systems
network
open system
product system
Properties
reductionism
resilience
semantics
service
service system
soft system
structure
sub-system
syntax
system model
system purpose
system type
(system) classification
(system) context
(system) model
(system) perspective
system-of-interest (SOI)
system-of-systems (SOS)
systemic challenges
systems principle
systems thinking
topology
view
viewpoint

18. Questions Where are following:
Relationship to other disciplines?
Systems Engineering standards?
How are Product, Service and Enterprise issues split across parts?
Which terms does Part 2 need to define?
How to link Systems Approach to Systems Engineering lifecycle and process?