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Christopher Olson

Product Development & Systems Engineering uses a structured yet flexible approach to provide a holistic, solid foundation to the successful development of complex products or systems.

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Product Development & Systems Engineering uses a structured yet flexible approach to provide a holistic, solid foundation to the successful development of complex products or systems.

This course will take you step by step through the product life cycle, from conception to design, development, production, deployment, sustainment and disposal. You will learn how the different components of a system interrelate, and how each contributes product accomplishing its missions. Systems engineering terminology, which can so often confuse the newcomer, is presented in an easily digestible form. Video lectures for individual topics will introduce key concepts. This course welcomes anyone who wants to find out how complex products or systems can be developed and implemented successfully. It is relevant to anyone in project management, engineering, quality assurance, product support, operations, management, maintenance and many other areas. No specific background is required, and we welcome learners with all levels of interest and experience.

The course aligns closely with ISO/IEC/ This course covers most of the material from the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook 5th edition - and more.

If you are interested in INCOSE Exam practice questions, head over to the main learnSE site for 1,200 questions and fillable IPO sheets. You won't find these on Udemy. Note: The practice exam question bank is a separate course from this one.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • How to develop complex products or systems
  • How to apply "systems thinking" by approaching problem solving holistically, from the top-down.
  • What a product hierarchy is and how to use them.
  • How to define system boundaries and primary interfaces in a context diagram.
  • How to identify, involve and elicit requirements from system users and key stakeholders.
  • How to compartmentalize your need / problem set into manageable domains, ultimately arriving at solutions from the "top-down".
  • Who a systems engineer is and what their roles and responsibilities are.
  • How systems engineering will add value to your product development effort.
  • How to apply the systems engineering method toward solving your identified need / problem set.
  • How to manage across your product's life cycle, in-depth, phase by phase.
  • What milestones and decision gates are and how to apply them on your development project.
  • How to decide which life cycle strategy is best for your development project.
  • How to apply the various technical processes throughout your product's life cycle.
  • How to formulate the operational concept and other life cycle concepts for your system.
  • How to elicit and capture business and stakeholder requirements.
  • How to capture a formal problem or need statement, which kicks off your development project.
  • How to define, derive and decompose system requirements.
  • How to write effective requirements.
  • How to capture your requirements in a system requirements specification (syrs).
  • How to identify the different types of requirements and their role in the development effort.
  • What architectures are and how to define and capture the architecture for your system.
  • What model based systems engineering (mbse) is and how to apply it.
  • What the system modeling language (sysml) and unified modeling languages (uml) are.
  • How to create each type of sysml and uml diagram.
  • How to develop formal use cases.
  • How to decompose system functions or behaviors into smaller, more manageable sets.
  • How to construct the functional flows and relationships throughout your system architecture.
  • How to formulate the physical solution for your product.
  • How business relationships and contracting play a role in product development.
  • What technology readiness levels (trls) are and how they are used.
  • How to apply system implementation, integration and verification.
  • How verification and validation help foster a successful product.
  • How to apply systems engineering toward system manufacturing & production.
  • How to transition your product into the marketplace.
  • How to sustain and upgrade your products once they are fielded and being used.
  • How to plan and execute the ultimate disposal of your system.
  • How to apply project management principles toward your product development efforts.
  • What the systems engineering management plan (semp) is and how to make it effective for your project.
  • What a work breakdown structure (wbs) is and how to use it on your project.
  • What the product breakdown structure (pbs) is and how it is different than the wbs.
  • How to apply formal decision management and trade study processes.
  • How to manage risks for your development effort.
  • How to manage the configuration of your system and its enabling elements.
  • How to apply quality assurance toward developing your product.
  • How to apply information management for your development effort.
  • How to apply measures, such as: measures of effectiveness (moes), measures of performance (mops), key performance parameters, technical performance measures
  • How to form business relationships and contracts using the acquisition process and supply process.
  • How to apply life cycle management.
  • How to manage the portfolio of projects.
  • How human resource management plays a role in product development.
  • How to apply quality management throughout the organization.
  • How to tailor the processes to suit the needs of your projects or organizational goals.
  • How to use modeling & simulation and prototyping to save time and money on your development effort.
  • How to use the object oriented systems engineering method (oosem) toward the development of system software.
  • How to apply lean systems engineering principles.
  • The fundamentals of agile systems engineering.
  • The fundamentals of specialty engineering disciplines
  • Finally - how to prepare for the incose certification knowledge exam.
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Syllabus

This section provides an introductory overview of the field of product development and Systems Engineering (SE). You will learn fundamental definitions, processes and key characteristics.
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This lesson will introduce you to the purpose and scope of systems engineering and the overall system lifecycle for a product or system.

This lesson provides a definition of what we mean when we use the word "system".

This lesson will introduce you to the concept of hierarchies and a tiered, or top-down architecture.

This lesson will introduce you to how to determine and set up your system boundaries and creating the context diagram to express how your system interacts with the outside world.

This lesson will introduce you to system domains - where we can capture and organize the elements of our system as they are created.

This lesson will introduce you to the key players in product development: system users and stakeholders.

This lesson will expand on the concepts of system boundaries and interfaces, emphasizing how we can identify, define and manage them.

This lesson will give you an overview of what systems engineering is and the activities that take place as a part of performing systems engineering.

This lesson briefly reviews the various systems engineering models and methods you may encounter on your adventures as a product developer.

This lesson introduces you to the concept of "systems thinking" - or in other words, "thinking about the big picture". The great thing about applying systems thinking is that it can be applied to almost any real world scenario - not just product development.

This lesson will briefly cover the origins of systems engineering and how it has changed over the years.

The final lesson in this section will cover who a systems engineer is, their roles and responsibilities as well as typical career progressions of systems engineers.

In this section, you will learn about a product's life cycle, different life cycle models and life cycle processes.

In this lesson, we will provide an overview of the general product life cycle.

This lesson will cover the periodic checkpoints we perform as we progress through a product's life cycle. Major checkpoints are called milestones, while the more minor detailed checkpoints are called gate reviews.

This lesson will provide a brief introduction to the first life cycle stage: the concept stage.

This lesson will provide a brief introduction to the second life cycle stage: the development stage.

This lesson will provide a brief introduction to the third life cycle stage: the production stage.

This lesson will provide a brief introduction to the fourth life cycle stage: the Utilization stage. This stage takes place at the same time as the Support Stage.

This lesson will provide a brief introduction to the fifth life cycle stage: the support stage. This stage takes place at the same time as the utilization stage.

This lesson will provide a brief introduction to the final life cycle stage: the retirement stage.

This lesson will cover some of the more popular life cycles, their commonalities and their differences.

This section, you will learn about the technical processes used to conceive of, capture, analyze, design, implement, integrate, test, and communicate your product or system's design.

In this lesson, you will be introduced to the critical topic: technical processes.

In this lesson, you will learn about the first technical process - the Business and mission analysis process.

In this lesson, you will learn about the operational concept - which is a document that describes how your product will perform its missions. This document is later used as a springboard to creating your functional domain and many requirements can be pulled from this document.

In this lesson, you will learn about the apex of your product's requirements: The mission need statement.

The Business Requirements

In this lesson, you will learn how to capture and document stakeholder requirements.

In this lesson, we will add more fidelity and information to the concept of the operational life cycle.

In this lesson, you will learn about how to define the requirements that describe the product you will develop.

In this lesson, you will learn more about how to define and capture requirements for your product.

In this lesson, you will learn more about the document that contains your product's requirements: The System Requirements Specification (SyRS).

In this lesson, you will learn more about the requirements domain.

In this lesson, you will learn about the different types of requirements you will be writing that will describe your product properly and accurately.

In this lesson, you will learn about how to expand your requirements into a complete set by using derivation, allocation and flow down.

In this lesson, you will gain one of the most important skills you can have as a systems engineer: how to actually WRITE your requirement statements so that you are able to accurately describe the product you want to build.
Finally, print and use the INCOSE requirements writing guide to supplement this lesson.

In this lesson, you will learn how to define your product's architecture.

In this lesson, you will learn what architectures are and how they are useful.

In this video, you will be introduced to Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), which is in opposition to old-school paper-based systems engineering or product development.

In this lesson, you will learn two of the most commonly used system modeling languages: SysML and UML.

In this lesson, you will start learning about the second domain - the behavioral domain - and how to use analysis to think about the functions your product needs to perform.

In this lesson, you will learn about one of the most powerful tools you can use to define your behavioral domain: use cases.

In this lesson, you will learn how to construct your behavioral domain.

In this lesson, you will learn how to construct and validate the physical domain for your product.

In this lesson, you will learn how to begin actually DESIGNING your product, using the artifacts that you have created up to this point.

Once you have defined your system concept and captured it in your specifications, you will be hiring one or more developers to design, construct and test your product. In this lesson, you will learn about this process: solicitations, proposals and development contracts.

In this lesson, you will learn about how to analyze and assess the maturity level of the segments within your product. Knowing this, you will be able to judge the risk level of your development effort AND you will know where to apply more effort when developing your system.

In this lesson, you will learn more about defining your product's design and implementing (constructing) the segments within your system.

In this lesson, you will learn about the general system analysis process, which is applied at all times throughout the life cycle of your product.

In this lesson, you will learn about the construction of the various segments within your system - also known as implementation.

Once you have at least two segments constructed (implemented), you may want to connect them and see if they work together - something we call integration. In this lesson, you will learn about the integration process.

In this lesson, we will expand upon the integration process and learn about the principles and best practices of integrating system elements.

In this lesson, you will learn about how you can test and evaluate the performance of your product against the requirements you wrote about earlier in the product's life - something we call verification.

In this lesson, you will learn more about the principles of verification testing.

In this lesson, you will be introduced to the process of producing or manufacturing your product.

In this lesson you will learn about low rate and full rate production.

In this lesson, you will be introduced to transitioning your product into the marketplace or field where it will be purchased and used by the users in the defined operational environment.

In this lesson, you will learn about how you can test and evaluate the performance of your product against users expectations in the operational environment, something we call validation.

In this lesson, you will learn more about the principles of product validation.

In this lesson, you will learn what you need to be doing as your products are being used by users in the operational environment.

In this lesson, you will learn what you need to be doing to help prepare for and provide support as your products are being maintained in the field.

In this lesson, you will learn more about product transition, operations and maintenance.

In this closing lesson, you will learn what you need to do to prepare for and support the retirement and disposal of your product(s).

After learning about the technical processes, let's dive into some of the tools that help you MANAGE your product development.

In this lesson, you will learn about how to PLAN your product development effort, from a technical perspective (vs project management, cost, schedule, HR perspective, etc).

In this lesson, you will learn about the document that captures how you will manage the technical portion of your product development project. This document is typically called the technical strategy, technical management plan or the systems engineering management plan (SEMP).

In this lesson, you will learn how to form the foundation for you project: the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

In this lesson, you will learn how to measure how well your project is performing, by using the project assessment process.

In this lesson, you will be getting an overview of how we make important decisions during a product development effort by employing the decision management process.

In this lesson, we will elaborate in detail how to perform decision analysis, or trade studies.

In this lesson, we will walk through, step by step, an actual trade study.

In this lesson, you will be introduced to the principles of risk management and how to apply them to your product development project.

In this lesson, we will dive deeper into how to identify, assess, capture and treat the risks that may cause harm to your product development effort.

In this lesson, you will learn about how to capture and manage changes as they occur throughout product development.

In this lesson, you will learn how to capture, disseminate and store information for your product development effort.

In this lesson, you will learn about how to come up with the measures you will need to know if you are on the right track or not.

In this lesson, you will be introduced to the concept of quality assurance.

The development of your product may require hiring help from the outside. This this section, we will go over agreement processes. That is, the processes for buying or selling products and services.

In this lesson, we will introduce you to the general process used for buying and/or selling products or services.

In this lesson, you will learn about the process used to buy products and/or services from a company outside of your organization.

In this lesson, you will learn about the process used to provide, or sell products and/or services to an outside organization.

This section covers overarching processes used across all projects within your organization and how they might apply to your particular project.

In this lesson, you will learn about how your organization might use and tailor life cycle models across various projects.

Your product does not simply pop into existence on its own. Its development, production and support depend on using various resources - tools, people, skills, facilities, networks, training, etc. In this lesson, you will learn about managing the infrastructure required to enable the success of your product.

In this lesson, you will learn how an organization can organize and manage multiple projects - or portfolio of projects.

In this lesson, you will learn about managing the people required to enable the development of products within the organization.

Quality Management

In this lesson, you will learn how to capture, store, disseminate and archive the knowledge and experiences your team gains as they develop complex systems.

In this section, we will cover tailoring processes and methods your product development team may use.

In this lesson, you will be introduced to process tailoring in general.

In this lesson, you will learn about software development in a Systems Engineering framework.

In this lesson, you will be introduced to the topic of prototyping, which plays a critical role throughout the entire life of your product.

In this lesson, you will learn about Integrated Product Development (IPD) team structures and how to apply them in your organization.

In this lesson, you will be introduced to the concept of applying Lean Principles to your product development efforts.

In this lesson, you will be introduced to applying Agile Principles to your product development efforts. In addition, you also learn about a specific 'type' of highly adaptable, or agile, system.

In this section, we will cover the most common specialty engineering disciplines. Since each can encompass an entire series of courses on their own, we will merely scratch the surface here.

In this video, you will learn about how to apply affordability principles to save your product development project time and money.

If you product contains anything that is powered by electricity, or operates near other systems that emit power, then you should be concerned with Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC). This lesson covers the principles of EMC.

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Covers most of the material from the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook, which is a recognized standard in the field
Explores the product life cycle from conception to disposal, offering a comprehensive understanding of systems engineering
Teaches the fundamentals of Agile Systems Engineering, which is a modern approach to product development
Includes coverage of Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and languages like SysML and UML, which are essential for modern systems engineering
Offers guidance on preparing for the INCOSE certification knowledge exam, which can help learners advance their careers
Requires learners to purchase additional practice questions from an external site, which may pose a financial burden

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Product Development & Systems Engineering (INCOSE / 15288) with these activities:
Review Project Management Fundamentals
Strengthen understanding of project management principles, which are essential for successful product development.
Browse courses on Project Management
Show steps
  • Review project management concepts such as scope, schedule, and budget.
  • Study risk management techniques and tools.
  • Familiarize yourself with configuration management principles.
Review 'The Art of Systems Architecting'
Expand knowledge of system architecture principles and design patterns.
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'The Art of Systems Architecting'.
  • Read the chapters on architectural styles and design patterns.
  • Take notes on key concepts and examples.
  • Relate the book content to the course lectures on system architecture.
Review 'Systems Engineering Handbook'
Reinforce understanding of core systems engineering principles and prepare for the INCOSE certification exam.
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook.
  • Read the chapters relevant to the course syllabus.
  • Take notes on key concepts and definitions.
  • Relate the handbook content to the course lectures and examples.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Requirements Writing Practice
Improve requirements writing skills through repetitive exercises.
Browse courses on Requirements Engineering
Show steps
  • Find examples of poorly written requirements.
  • Rewrite the requirements to be clear, concise, and testable.
  • Get feedback on your rewritten requirements.
  • Repeat the process with different examples.
Develop a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) for a Sample Product
Practice creating a PBS to understand product hierarchies and system decomposition.
Browse courses on Work Breakdown Structure
Show steps
  • Choose a sample product (e.g., a smartphone, a car, a software application).
  • Identify the main components and sub-components of the product.
  • Create a hierarchical diagram representing the PBS.
  • Review and refine the PBS based on feedback.
Create a SysML Diagram Tutorial
Solidify understanding of SysML by creating a tutorial for other students.
Browse courses on SysML
Show steps
  • Choose a specific SysML diagram type (e.g., use case diagram, block definition diagram).
  • Research the diagram type and its purpose.
  • Create a sample diagram with clear explanations.
  • Write a tutorial explaining the diagram's elements and how to create it.
Develop a System Requirements Specification (SyRS) Template
Apply knowledge of requirements engineering by creating a SyRS template for future projects.
Show steps
  • Research best practices for writing system requirements.
  • Define the sections and content of the SyRS template.
  • Write sample requirements for different system components.
  • Review and refine the template based on feedback.

Career center

Learners who complete Product Development & Systems Engineering (INCOSE / 15288) will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Systems Engineer
A Systems Engineer applies their knowledge of systems and product development to guide the creation of complex products, a skill that this course emphasizes. This role involves managing the entire product lifecycle, from initial conception through development, production, and even disposal, as is covered in this course. A Systems Engineer defines system boundaries and interfaces, elicits requirements from stakeholders, and manages the interrelation of system components, all of which are part of the structured approach to product development taught in the course. The course will be especially beneficial to a Systems Engineer in planning, managing, and ensuring successful product development.
Product Manager
A Product Manager oversees the development of a product, and this course is highly relevant to their work. From the top-down systems thinking approach, learning to define system boundaries, and understanding the product life cycle from conception to disposal, this course's lessons will help a Product Manager understand the development process. The course provides a foundation for making decisions about product features, understanding technical requirements, and managing the product's development phases, all of which are critical to a Product Manager's success.
Project Manager
Project Management involves the planning and execution of projects, and this course's content directly supports the technical understanding of product development required by a Project Manager. The course covers the entire product life cycle, from initial concept through to disposal, offering the processes and best practices for managing projects of any size. This course is especially helpful to a Project Manager by providing insight into the interdisciplinary nature of complex systems and the numerous technical processes involved in product development, as well as how to manage them effectively.
Requirements Analyst
A Requirements Analyst is responsible for gathering, analyzing, and documenting the needs of stakeholders, and this course provides a strong foundation for this role. This course teaches how to elicit and capture business and stakeholder requirements and how to define, derive, and decompose system requirements, all of which are essential tasks for a Requirements Analyst. A Requirements Analyst will learn how to write effective requirements and capture them in a System Requirements Specification (SyRS), as taught in the course. By taking this course, a Requirements Analyst can help contribute to the success of product development efforts.
Quality Assurance Specialist
A quality assurance specialist focuses on verifying that products meet requirements and quality standards, a role highly relevant to the material covered in this course. Through exploration of the entire product lifecycle, from conception to disposal, the course provides an understanding of how quality can be managed at each phase. The course details verification and validation, and how these help to foster successful products - knowledge that a Quality Assurance Specialist will find useful. The course will be helpful in understanding how to apply these concepts and in understanding quality assurance processes in product development.
Systems Architect
A Systems Architect designs the overall structure of a system, a task that this course directly relates to. The course emphasizes understanding system architectures and how to define and capture them effectively. Using Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), and system modeling languages, as taught in this course, helps a Systems Architect create, communicate, and analyze system designs effectively. The System Architect will find the course useful in learning how to develop the architecture for a system, ensuring its effectiveness and efficiency.
Product Support Specialist
A Product Support Specialist ensures the ongoing functionality and maintenance of products, a task that is substantially informed by this course. This course covers the entire product lifecycle from conception to disposal, with a focus on sustainment and upgrades. This perspective is useful to a Product Support Specialist. The course, by covering the product lifecycle from end to end, provides important context into the support needs of a product as it is used in the field. A Product Support Specialist should take this course to better understand their role in the lifecycle of a product.
Operations Manager
An Operations Manager is responsible for the efficient management of the processes that produce a product, and this course is designed to help with that task. By covering the entire product lifecycle, the course allows an Operations Manager to understand the development, production, and deployment phases of a product, as well as the interrelation of the different components and their contribution to the overall goals. This course may be useful for an Operations Manager in understanding how their responsibilities fit into the broader context of product development and ensure smooth operations.
Technical Writer
A Technical Writer creates documentation for products and systems, and the course may be useful in ensuring that this documentation is accurate and complete. The course teaches how systems and products function, and their lifecycle from conception to disposal, giving a Technical Writer a holistic perspective that will improve the clarity and thoroughness of their documentation. Learning how to write requirements and understand design decisions, as taught in this course, can significantly improve a Technical Writer's ability to capture and convey technical information effectively.
Software Engineer
A Software Engineer develops software applications, and this course may provide a useful understanding of the broader systems within which their work exists. This course provides an understanding of systems thinking, which allows a software engineer to understand how a project fits within a larger product's life cycle. The course also covers various system modeling techniques, like sysML and UML, that can help bridge knowledge gaps between development teams and other parts of the organization. The course may be helpful to a software engineer in understanding the larger context of their work.
Test Engineer
A Test Engineer is responsible for assessing product performance, and this course helps in providing a deeper understanding of the system being tested. The course covers the entire product lifecycle from conception to disposal, allowing a Test Engineer to understand all phases of product development. This course may be useful to a Test Engineer, because the course touches upon system verification and validation, helping them understand how these testing phases fit together in the product lifecycle.
Business Analyst
A Business Analyst identifies business needs and recommends solutions, and this course can provide a valuable perspective for this role. The course's focus on product development, including eliciting stakeholder requirements, defining system boundaries, and understanding the product lifecycle, may assist a Business Analyst. This course may be useful to a Business Analyst who wishes to improve their ability to capture, analyze, and translate product needs into effective business solutions, especially in technical domains.
Manufacturing Engineer
A Manufacturing Engineer optimizes the production process, and this course may provide a high level overview of the context within which those processes exist. The course includes study of the product life cycle, from conception to production, which may assist a Manufacturing Engineer to understand where their work sits as part of the broader product development effort. This course may be useful for a Manufacturing Engineer who wants to better integrate their knowledge of manufacturing into a holistic view of the product life cycle.
Customer Support Representative
A Customer Support Representative helps customers use a product, and taking this course may be useful in better understanding the product itself. This course covers the entire product lifecycle, which will increase the Customer Support Representative's familiarity with the product's development process and the interrelation of its components. This course may be useful to a Customer Support Representative who wishes to more fully understand the product they work with.
Sales Representative
A Sales Representative sells products, and this course may provide a high level view of the product lifecycle from end to end. Studying key concepts such as system boundaries, stakeholders, and product life cycles may allow the sales representative to understand the products they sell in more detail. This course may be helpful to a Sales Representative who wishes to understand their products at a more meaningful level.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Product Development & Systems Engineering (INCOSE / 15288).
This handbook is the definitive guide for systems engineering principles and practices. It provides a comprehensive overview of the systems engineering lifecycle, processes, and activities. is particularly useful as a reference tool for understanding the concepts covered in the course and for preparing for the INCOSE certification exam. It adds depth and breadth to the course material, offering practical guidance and real-world examples.
Provides a comprehensive guide to systems architecting principles and practices. It covers various architectural styles, design patterns, and decision-making techniques. This book is valuable as additional reading to expand on the architecture concepts covered in the course. It offers practical insights and real-world examples to help you design effective system architectures.

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