EXPERIENCES IN TRAINING SOFTWARE ENGINEERS TO PERFORM SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

This paper presents the experiences in designing and delivering a systems engineering course for a project team consisting of software engineers who have, for the first time, total systems responsibility for a new computer system. The training objectives support the training mission which is to help assure project success. The training scope includes the systems engineering process, its management and its products beginning with needs analysis and continuing through system requirements specification, system design and producing software requirements and a software development plan. The course described here includes analysis of various aspects of computer systems; workload, functionality, man-machine interface, security, and the “ilities” (reliability, maintainability, etc.). The course covers system design techniques and process models. The course covers how the results of analysis and design are qualified and how they are used in the construction of Government documents.