Systems Approach and Systems Engineering 77
1. What distinguishes systems thinking from analytical thinking? Is systems think-
ing something new, or is it just another perspective? Explain.
2. Define “system”. What notable features enable you to see something as a sys-
tem? Describe briefly the American legal or education system in terms of these
features.
3. How can several people looking at the same thing see the “system” in it differently?
4. Define the following concepts and explain how they fit into systems thinking: objectives, elements, subsystems, attributes, environment, boundary, structure, inputs, outputs, process, and constraints.
5. Describe the difference between open and closed systems, and between human made and natural systems. Are all natural systems open systems?
6. Is a space vehicle an open system? Is an organization an open system? Explain.
7. Describe the systems approach. Where does the systems approach apply? Explain in a sentence what a manager does in the systems approach that he or she might not do otherwise.
8. What is the “environmental fallacy?”
9. What things does the problem-solver keep in mind when applying the systems approach?
10. Describe how the following elements of the systems approach apply to projects
and project management: objectives, environment, resources, subsystems, and
management.
11. Give some examples of physical models, of graphical models, and of mathematical models.
12. What is the systems life cycle? What is the systems development cycle?
13. Discuss the dimension of systems engineering in Figure 2.6.
14. What is modularization? What are its benefits in system design and operation?
15. In systems engineering, the first stage is identification. Identification of what?
16. Who are the stakeholders in systems engineering?
17. What are requirements? What aspects of the system or stakeholder needs should the requirements incorporate?
18. Distinguish stakeholder requirements and system requirements.
19. Describe the stages of systems engineering in Figure 2.8. Think of some projects,
and describe the stages of systems engineering in these projects.
20. Distinguish the following: functional requirements, performance requirements,
and verification requirements. Give an example of a functional requirement and
its associated performance and verification requirements.
21. What is meant by the term “traceability?”
22. Think of a simple system like a mousetrap, tape dispenser, or can opener. Draw a simple high-level functional flow block diagram for it. If possible, decompose each of the functions into subfunctions.
23. What is the emphasis in systems management? How does it differ from just management?
24. What is the relevancy of the systems approach to project management?
