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Roles and
Competencies

The Broadening Role of the Systems Engineer

FR OM
A typical systems engineering role varies from managing requirements to being the technical leader
on a project.

TO
The roles and competencies of the systems engineer will broaden to address the increasing complexity
and diversity of future systems. The technical leadership role of the systems engineer on a project will
be well established as critical to the success of a project. The systems engineering role also supports
and integrates a broader range of socio-technical disciplines, technologies, and stakeholder concerns
in an increasingly diverse work environment. Systems engineers will integrate programmatic and socio-
technical concerns that span global and cultural boundaries as well as system-of-system boundaries.
Systems engineers will understand systems of increasing complexity that include emergent behaviors
associated with system interdependence and human interactions. Systems engineers will address con-
cerns such as security, economic viability and sustainability that span broader disciplines, applications
and technical domains.

All leaders need to be systems thinkers. All engi-
neers should have some education and training SYSTEMS ENGINEERING IS BROADLY APPLICABLE
in systems and systems engineering, and systems
engineers need to be well versed in a broad set • Systems thinking is used by many.
of socio-technical and leadership skills, serving as • Systems engineering is understood and em-
a central, multi-disciplinary focal point for systems braced by all engineers.
development with stakeholders from all walks
of life. • Systems
engineering
is a career for
a few.

42 • The Future State Copyright 2014 International Council on Systems Engineering