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Entries Tagged as 'Requirements'

Why Pay a Systems Engineer?

June 16th, 2014 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips When you consider it, systems engineers do something that everyone already does. Right? Systems Engineers do a simple task: they ensure that all customer requirements are built, tested, and delivered. They keep lists and tables and all sorts of things that trace all work back to every customer requirement. So why do […]

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Tags: People · Requirements · Systems · Work

The MD vs the Veterinarian

August 5th, 2013 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Should we send our customers to a veterinarian, i.e., someone who is accustomed to working with beings that cannot speak? First, a story: My granddad was a stubborn man. My granddad was ill and went to a doctor, an MD. My granddad was paying the MD a lot of money, so he […]

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Tags: Communication · Requirements · Systems

What Programming Languages Do You Know?

June 20th, 2013 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Programming languages are relevant but not critical to software engineers, but recruiters at job fairs love this question. For the record, I list my languages. I have been going to job fairs recently trying to find a job. People claim they are looking for systems engineers, software engineers, and software systems engineers. […]

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Tags: Programming · Requirements

Desirements

May 12th, 2011 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Systems are built to satisfy the requirements of the user. Sometimes, engineers want to add things, i.e., they desire to add things. Such are “desire-ments,” and they can kill projects. I walked into an existing project. Well, I  wasn’t in the middle of the project, but I was to work with a […]

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Tags: Fun · General Systems Thinking · Requirements · Work

Return on Specification Investment

February 3rd, 2011 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips How specific should a system specification be? How many resources should the spec consume? I propose a measure to help answer these questions – the Return on Specification Investment. A few years ago, I was reviewing a specification for a system that someone in the office had written. I came to one […]

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Tags: Communication · Design · Requirements · Systems · Technology · Work

The Technology Imperative

June 7th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The Technology Imperative states that if a new technology exists, we need it. Logic and business school lessons don’t matter. It happened again this week. I was visiting someone at their office in another building. The man I was visiting was slouched over in his chair with a face that asked, “Why […]

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Tags: Apple · Culture · iPad · Meetings · Requirements · Technology

Making an RVTM with “Click-able” Links

March 25th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips A challenge in systems engineering is tracing from requirements through design and implementation to testing. This is done in almost all development methods (often people do this without realizing it). I show a method of tracing that uses Microsoft Word features and link to a video demonstration of the technique. A Requirements […]

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Tags: Design · Requirements · Systems · Word

The Dinner Design Review

March 15th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Design reviews can be important parts of projects. At design reviews, we attempt to communicate clearly and minimize misunderstandings. There are several design reviews that are important to the success of a project. This essay describes one design review that people want to have but should never be allowed. We have design […]

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Tags: Communication · Design · Expectations · Health · Ideas · Judgment · Meetings · Requirements · Systems

Improving the Work

January 25th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Systems builders should concentrate on one thing – improving the work of the people who will use the system. Sometimes we lose sight of what we are doing. We build systems. Why? Well, to make money for our employer. We hope the system makes money for the organization that uses it. This […]

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Tags: General Systems Thinking · Requirements · Systems