One Old Systems Engineer's Thoughts for New Systems Engineers Systems Engineers”s Thoughts for New Systems Engineeris by Stuart Corns
By Stuart Corns Email: stuart.g.corns@boeing.com Copyright © 2022 Stuart Corns. All rights reserved. Authored for PPI SyEN
Introduction When asked what might I pass on to a new systems engineer just starting out in this field, I kind of drew a blank. Having worked almost 40 years as a systems engineer (SE) at one of the largest global aerospace manufacturers, I never have really thought about it, even though I have provided training and guidance to quite a few new systems engineers over the years. New engineers, straight out of college, often ask for my expectations when they come into our SE group, but I truthfully really have none when they start. I know that they have raw potential, in that an engineering or some other technical curriculum has been completed. This demonstrates a certain intelligence, the ability to think, and the ability to solve problems. Other than some common sense and the ability to get along and play well with others, these things are really all that are needed to be successful. To what level and how quickly individuals develop their individual systems engineering talent, skills, and abilities remains to be seen, and it will vary from person to person. It will be another three to five years of working in this field before a new engineer will add much value to a seasoned System Engineering Integration Team (SEIT). At least, that has been my experience. New personnel are an investment. It takes a lot of time and team effort to bring on new members and train them, as there is much to know both technically and administratively. In fact, at first, new members are probably going to be more of a hinderance than a help in many respects. Even when you bring on new team members that have some system engineering experience, it will take time for them to acclimate, especially when you are in the middle of a project. The transition time necessary for the individual is a little more when the new team member comes from outside the company rather than inside the company. This is mainly due to differences in company standards, processes, and procedures that will take time to learn. Something to remember: when a manager tells you that they plan to hire or add a few new engineers to your team to help you meet a project schedule, they are adding several additional tasks to your already overly ambitious workload. I could go over in detail many system engineering activities and topics, but there are plenty of excellent materials on systems engineering that are out there to read, digest, understand, and improve upon. The basic systems engineering tenets and concepts have really not changed that much over the years; however, technologies have continued to advance at a rapid pace and have changed considerably over the years. If you are working for a large company, they will have a myriad of instructions, procedures, and guidelines that you must learn, adapt, and put into practice. Establishing priorities and time management are important skills to have when starting a new job or task. My advice would be to identify at first those things that are most relevant to the work that you are doing at the time. Learn the materials, learn how to apply them, and work very hard at it. Project experiences are different depending on your assignments, it may take several projects under your belt to have good overall perspective and appreciation of everything that needs to be done. April 2022
[Contents]
29
