A Framework for Understanding Systems Engineering

People who can effectively lead the implementation of the information technology, commercial and military systems acquisition and development process within the cost and schedule constraints are scarce. These people are becoming known as systems engineers and the approach they use is systems engineering. However, there is no generally accepted definition of systems engineering, nor is there a generally accepted body of knowledge for systems engineering. Mixing ingredients from systems engineering (Beer, Hall, Jackson, Checkland etc.), management (Taylor, Ford, Drucker, Peters, Hammer and Champy etc.), and Quality (Deming, Juran and Crosby etc.), together with some original thoughts, this book takes you on an exploratory journey, and, by documenting the application of systems thinking to the problem of understanding systems engineering, provides you with a unique perspective for understanding systems engineering and management and how they relate to each other.

Joseph Kasser combines knowledge of systems engineering, technology, management and educational pedagogy. Having been a practicing systems engineer and engineering manager since 1970 in the USA, Israel, and Australia he brought a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to academia in 1997. He has since become internationally recognised as one of the top systems engineering academics in the world.

He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and an INCOSE Fellow. He is the author of "A Framework for Understanding Systems Engineering", "Applying Total Quality Management to Systems Engineering" and many INCOSE symposia papers. He is a recipient of NASA's Manned Space Flight Awareness Award (Silver Snoopy) for quality and technical excellence for performing and directing systems engineering and the recipient of many other awards, plaques and letters of commendation and appreciation.

He holds a Doctor of Science in Engineering Management from The George Washington University, is a Certified Manager and a certified member of the Association for Learning Technology. He gave up his positions as a Deputy Director and DSTO Associate Research Professor at the Systems Engineering and Evaluation Centre at the University of South Australia in early 2007 to move back to the UK to develop the world's first immersion course in systems engineering as a Leverhulme Visiting Professor at Cranfield University.

He is an INCOSE Ambassador and also served as the initial president of INCOSE Australia and as a Region VI Representative to the INCOSE Member Board. He is currently a principal at the Right Requirement Ltd. in the UK and a Visiting Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore.