Principles of Systems Engineering

Principles of Systems Engineering is a practical, step-by-step guide to the creation of complex engineered systems.

This is a companion book to the same author's Engineering Project Management textbook. This book is based on many years of research, and decades of actual, hands-on experience in successfully performing and leading complex engineering projects.

The book introduces what the author calls the systems method, and then goes stage-by-stage through the details of the systems engineering process. Many examples and tips from real projects are used to illustrate the processes and techniques described.

Neil G. Siegel, Ph.D., spent many years as the lead designer &/or manager of a number of successful engineering projects, including projects of unusual technical difficulty, and at the largest scales. After retiring as sector Vice-President & Chief Technology officer of the Northrop Grumman Corporation, he is at present the IBM Professor of Engineering Management at the University of Southern California. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors, and a fellow of 4 engineering societies, among many other honors and awards. More information is available at neilsiegel.usc.edu.

Neil Siegel is the IBM Professor of Engineering Management in the Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and is also a professor of Computer Science practice, both within the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California. He is a recognized expert in the design and development of large, complex systems that serve important societal needs, both as a practitioner at the largest scales, and as a researcher.

Until his retirement at the end of 2015, he held the position of sector vice-president and chief technology officer at Northrop Grumman, for the Mission Systems and Information Systems sectors. He led the sector's research portfolio , oversaw the design and development of technical solutions for their customers' most-complex and most-important problems, oversaw the work of the sector's 12,000-plus scientists and engineers, directed engineering process improvements, and led activities to develop the company's technical talent.

Previously, Dr. Siegel served as vice-president and general manager of the company's Tactical Systems division, and a director of the company's U.K. subsidiary. He has been responsible for engineering projects in many countries, including the United States, the U.K., NATO, Saudi Arabia, etc. In all, he served as a vice-president of the company for nearly 18 years.

Dr. Siegel led the engineering on a large number of successful fielded military, intelligence, and commercial systems, including the U.S. Blue-Force Tracker; the Army's first unmanned aerial vehicle; the Forward-Area Air Defense system; the fire-control segment of the world's first complete laser weapon system; and played important roles for many other systems for ground, sea, space, and cyber-space. These systems have repeatedly been cited as model programs and important national capabilities. He also led work for the steel industry, the movie industry, the healthcare industry, and the electric power industry. He helped to invent techniques to reduce unintended interactions between drugs prescribed by different doctors that are used almost universally in the U.S. and elsewhere, saving many lives each year. His inventions are used in a very large number of consumer devices around the world (including GPS receivers, smart phones, and tablet computers). He is a recognized expert in information networking, especially network management, wireless networks, and networks of mobile devices. He holds nearly 50 issued and pending patents worldwide. His expertise is recognized by the U.S. Government, as indicated by past membership on the Defense Science Board, the Army Science Board, and other senior government advisory panels.

Dr. Siegel has a doctorate in systems engineering from the University of Southern California. His advisor there was the noted computer scientist and systems engineer Dr. Barry Boehm.

Among his many honors are the following:
•U.S. National Academy of Engineering
•U.S. National Academy of Inventors
•Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
•Fellow of the International Congress on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)
•Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (AIAA)
•The IEEE Simon Ramo Medal for systems engineering and systems science
•His former company's Chairman's Award for Innovation (three times)
•The Army's Order of Saint Barbara
•The iCMG award for system architecture
•The Northern Virginia Technology Council CTO-of-the-year award
•The inaugural Crosstalk Award for the best-managed software project across the entire U.S. Government

Publications include textbooks on Engineering Project Management, the Economics of Engineering, and the Principles of Systems Engineering. He wrote a chapter in a book on ethics in engineering. Public service includes board positions for three charitable organizations, 10 years as an elected public official (California Hazard Abatement District board), and many others.