Decision Making in Systems Engineering and Management

A thoroughly updated overview of systems engineering management and decision making

In the newly revised third edition of Decision Making in Systems Engineering and Management, the authors deliver a comprehensive and authoritative overview of the systems decision process, systems thinking, and qualitative and quantitative multi-criteria value modeling directly supporting decision making throughout the system lifecycle. This book offers readers major new updates that cover recently developed system modeling and analysis techniques and quantitative and qualitative approaches in the field, including effective techniques for addressing uncertainty. In addition to Excel, six new open-source software applications have been added to illustrate key topics, including SIPmath Modeler Tools, Cambridge Advanced Modeller, SystemiTool2.0, and Gephi 0.9.2.

The authors have reshaped the book’s organization and presentation to better support educators engaged in remote learning. New appendices have been added to present extensions for a new realization analysis technique and getting started steps for each of the major software applications. Updated illustrative examples support modern system decision making skills and highlight applications in hardware, organizations, policy, logistic supply chains, and architecture.

Readers will also find:

• Thorough introductions to working with systems, the systems engineering perspective, and systems thinking
• In-depth presentations of applied systems thinking, including holism, element dependencies, expansive and contractive thinking, and concepts of structure, classification, and boundaries
• Comprehensive explorations of system representations leading to analysis
• In-depth discussions of supporting system decisions, including the system decision process (SDP), tradespace methods, multi-criteria value modeling, working with stakeholders, and the system environment

Perfect for undergraduate and graduate students studying systems engineering and systems engineering management, Decision Making in Systems Engineering and Management will also earn a place in the libraries of practicing system engineers and researchers with an interest in the topic.

Patrick J. Driscoll, PhD, is a Professor Emeritus of Operations Research and in the Department of Systems Engineering at the United States Military Academy. He was lead author and editor for the 3rd edition of Decision Making in Systems Engineering and Management. He has over 30 years’ experience teaching systems engineering, mathematics, and operational topics and is the former USMA Transformation Chair, Deputy Department Head, and Program Director for Systems Engineering.

Gregory S. Parnell, PhD, is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas and Director, System Design and Analytics Laboratory (SyDL), and Director of the M.S. in Operations Management and M.S. In Engineering Management programs. He previously taught at the United States Military Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Dale L. Henderson, PhD, is a Principal Research Scientist at Amazon and former Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Engineering at the United States Military Academy.