M6910

Course outline

Stephen S G Lee, PhD, P.Eng., FSME

H P Khong, PhD., P.Eng., C.Eng., MIMechE, MIMC.

Course scheduleDate
1/2

Week  Subject
Introduction to Systems and Systems Engineering
1 14 Aug Introduction to systems engineering: complicated vs complex systems; 
emergence; system of systems.

21 Aug
System Thinking. System behaviour; causal loop diagrams. Soft system 
2
methodology; rich pictures.

3 28 Aug
System design and modeling
Context diagrams; use case scenarios/diagrams.
Generic system life-cycle models.
4 4 Sep Generic life cycle stages and their characteristics. Vee‐model; Waterfall 
model; Spiral (Boehm) model. Life cycle reviews.
System design I. Stakeholder requirements/needs analysis. Functional
5 11 Sep
analysis. Technical performance measures.
System design II. QFD. Conceptual design (functional analysis); Pugh’s
6 18 Sep
concept selection. Preliminary design (function allocation). 
7 25 Sep System design III. Systems architecting. Acceptance criteria. 
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Course schedule
2/2

Week  Date Subject

#
Mid-semester recess: 1 – 5 Oct 2018
System integration and test
8 8 Oct TEMP; planning, conducting tests; acceptance tests; FMECA; Fault Tree
Analysis
15 Oct
Verification & validation
9
Purpose; V&V methods and techniques; operational validity.
Risk Management
10 22 Oct Categories of risk. Risk management processes. Decision under risk or
uncertainty.
11 29 Oct Case study orals
12 6 Nov Deepavali
13 13 Nov Case study orals

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Main topics
Stakeholder  QFD
requirements / 
needs analysis Context diagram
Context
diagrams

System risk  Use
System Design cases
management 

Life‐cycle process models

Fault Tree
Analysis
System 
System testing
integration
FMECA
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 References
 INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook ver 3.2.2 (2015) :
A guide for system life cycle processes and activities, 4th edition.
e-book:
https://ezlibproxy1.ntu.edu.sg/login?url=http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ntusg/detail.action?docID=4
040424
 INCOSE A Guide to Systems Engineering Body of
Knowledge (SEBoK) ver 1.6 (2016).
 D. Liu (2016). Systems Engineering: Design principles and models. Boca
Raton: CRC Press Inc. [TA168.L783] e-book:
https://ezlibproxy1.ntu.edu.sg/login?url=http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ntusg/detail.action?d
ocID=1684494
 Kossiakoff, A. & Sweet, W. (2003). Systems engineering: principles and
practice. N J: John Wiley & Sons Inc. [TA168.K86]
 Wasson, C S. (2006). System analysis, design & development: concepts,
principles and practices. NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [QA76.9588 W323]
 Buede, D.M. (2009). The engineering design of systems. 2 ed., N.J: J
Wiley & Sons Inc. [TA168.B928E]
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New Teaching&Learning paradigm

 Students review materials before each class.
 On the night of the class, the instructor says a few opening words,
introducing the topics for the night.
 A group is randomly called and members of the group explain what
s/he has learnt.
 A student who presents is awarded marks.
 A student who doesn’t earns no marks.
 And if s/he does it often, s/he earns zero marks.
 The group will field questions or comments from the instructors and
class-mates.
 The instructor comments on answers and corrects mis-conceptions.
 This mode of teaching compels students to learn consistently and so
prepare for the final exam!
 Class participation counts for a maximum of 10 marks.
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