 Before software can be engineered, the system must be understood.  The overall objective of the system must be determined, the role of the system elements (hardware, software, people, data, etc.) must be identified, and the operational requirements must be created.

 Do not take a “software-centric” view of the system; consider all system elements before focusing on software.  Good system engineering begins with a clear understanding of the “world view” and progressively narrows until technical detail is understood.  Complex systems are actually a hierarchy of macro-elements that are themselves systems.

 Denver International Airport  A baggage handling system using a system of conveyors and carts which would deliver individual bags to specified destinations.

 Over 17 miles of track  5.5 miles of conveyors  4000 carts  2700 photo cells  59 bar code readers  311 radio frequency readers  More then 150 computers

 Software  Hardware  People(users/operators)  Database  Documentation  Procedures(Workflow)

 Define the processes that serve the needs of the view under consideration.  Represent the process behavior and the assumptions on which the behavior is modeled.  Explicitly define the exogenous(links between constituent components) input to the model.  Represent all linkages (including outputs) required to understand the view.

 Requirements engineering(world view)  Component engineering(domain view)  Analysis and Design modeling (element view – software engineers)  Construction and Integration (detailed view- software engineers)

 Find out from the customers what the product objectives are, what is to be done, how the product fits into business needs, and how the product is used on a day to day basis.

 Requirements are categorized and organized into subsets, relations among requirements identified, requirements reviewed for correctness, requirements prioritized based on customer needs.

 Work product produced describes the function, performance, and development constraints for a computer-based system.

 System representation shows the relationships among the system components.

 Examines the specification to ensure requirement quality and that work products confirm to agreed upon standards.

 Set of activities that help the project team to identify, control, and track requirements and changes as Project proceeds.