E M 565 Introduction to Systems Management

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Course Description 

Introduction to Systems Management integrates project management and systems engineering management in the development, manufacture, and operation of complex systems. Complex systems, encumbered with schedule and cost constraints while pushing state of the art technology, present a challenge to today’s managers and require a systems approach to project planning, leading, organizing, monitoring, and controlling. The course is designed to assist engineering leaders and managers, systems engineers and architects, technical project and program managers, and hardware, software, electrical, mechanical and manufacturing engineers with projects involving complex system planning and development. The course includes case studies to relate concepts to real world practice and demonstrate how projects can succeed with a formalized systemic approach to project and systems engineering management. This course is a core ‘Managing Projects’ course in the ETM master’s degree, a required course for the systems engineering management graduate certificate and is available for continuing education.

Faculty Contact: etm@wsu.edu
Semester Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Location: Global Campus

Course meets at times posted via web conferencing software.

Course Objectives

This course teaches the fundamental elements and concepts of integrated project management and systems engineering management. Its specific objectives are

  • To provide a general understanding of the interdependent relationships between project planning, leading, organizing, directing, and monitoring, and system development, build, operation, and sustainment;
  • To develop key concepts and principles usable by technical managers to plan a complex project across the systems life cycle;
  • To provide some practice using analytical tools to plan for the development of an affordable total system solution that addresses the right problem;
  • To clarify, improve and broaden one’s personal philosophy of project management, systems concepts, system design and development, requirements management, change management, and engineering ethics;
  • To strengthen the students’ communication and research abilities by exploring current societal needs addressable with a system solution;
  • To provide the student with opportunities to utilize critical thinking skills to analyze and solve complex problems.

Learning Outcomes

Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Understand the interdisciplinary processes critical to complex system development including the integrative management of projects and systems, situation analysis, team building and team interactions, requirements management and allocation, system architecture, feasibility analysis, logistics and maintenance support concepts, life cycle cost analysis, systems synthesis, analysis, and design optimization, design integration, test and evaluation, production, operations, sustainment, and system retirement and disposal.
  • Identify a current deficiency, problem, or opportunity that can be addressed with the design of a system solution; develop a clear succinct need statement for the system in the domain and language of the stakeholder; and complete the system concept selection process.
  • Define a comprehensive set of system design requirements for the system solution that spans the entire system life cycle and incorporate the essential design engineering disciplines.
  • Understand how to facilitate the design and supplier review and evaluation through formal design reviews for the system requirements, conceptual system/system design, preliminary system design, equipment/software design, and detailed/critical design and development.
  • Develop a Project Management Plan (PMP) and Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) for a complex system that includes cost, schedule and technical considerations, project and system requirements, integration of engineering specialties, risk management, change management, and management of outsourcing and global relationships.
  • Understand how to build a successful systems-focused organizational culture.

Course Topics

  • Systems, Project, and Management
  • The System Engineering Process
  • Overview of Essentials
  • The Project Management Plan
  • Schedule, Cost, and Situation Analysis
  • The Project Manager and Leadership
  • Team Building and Team Interactions
  • System Engineering and Management
  • The Systems Engineering Management Plan
  • The Thirty Elements of Systems Engineering
  • Requirements Analysis and Allocation
  • Systems Architecting Principles
  • Software Engineering
  • Selected Quantitative Relationships
  • Trends in SE, SW, and PM
  • Selected New Perspectives
  • Integrative Management
  • Case Studie

This course can be used to fulfill the following requirements:

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To find out more, please fill in the form or email etm@wsu.edu.

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