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Comments about younger engineers being “better” with this “new” technology and more accepting of change are incorrect and ageist. As senior leads and engineers we should be cautious about making them. Perpetuating the myth that somehow “netcentric” or “systems of systems” requires new techniques and new ways of thinking, shortchanges the core competencies of our major aerospace and engineering houses like Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Hughes, GD, Harris, Loral and on and on. Engineering a “System of Systems” requires the same skill set and techniques as are used in designing any system from an IC chip to a global communication infrastructure. The Apollo program (before my time — mind you) was certainly a “system of systems”. At the crux is the traditional “Make/Buy” trade and integration of “bought” components into the “system”. The future of our industry hinges on fostering the core engineering competencies of our younger engineers. Focus on schedule and bottom line and “graphical” presentations for the customer are fine AFTER the solid engineering work is accomplished. More and more we are substituting what I derisively call “PowerPoint Engineering” for the solid analysis, trades and support documentation of basic engineering. When we value presentation skills and “PowerPoint” skills above requirements writing, specification development, system design development and analysis, integration, test, etc. we are losing the edge. The belief that tools like ROSE or STK, or DOORS, etc. will magically do the systems engineering cheaper and faster (if at all) is false and misleading. I am all for new tools and better tools but they need to support the core competencies not be thought of as panaceas for the lack of them. The industry needs a “back to basics” emphasis and it is the responsibility of the industry leaders to foster that by encouraging mentoring by competent senior personnel. The key skill set that our lead personnel require is the ability to break down entrenched bloated “stove-pipe” bureaucracies and resurrect the intrinsic value that was there before they became bloated. Again back to basics. This is necessary when attempting to integrate national intelligence agencies data or getting internal teams to work together. And the tool set to do it is basic systems engineering: What is the core problem?, what solution options do we have?, what are the trade criteria?, make the decisions, communicate the design. |