Whenever you speak, people hear you speaking in their native language. Most people are surprised and delighted. The cashier at McDonald's you've just talked to is horrified. "Nobody's spoken that language in thousands of years."
Turns out it's the language of Systems Engineering. Those who get it, get it. And can be intimidating to others. Not to worry though, the cashier got it at the end. They were more eager to learn more.
The way that happened was by asking questions. You are happy to help and to clarify. After all, conversation is normal and we have to start somewhere. No?
So ..
All right, that story never really happened. But it could have ..
Systems Engineering is like talking another language - a professional language. And it can be intimidating. But it's not that complicated, REALLY!
It's downright simple when you have someone to explain the concepts in simple, clear and everyday language. So then when you get it - you get it!
Maybe a simple way to kick-off the conversation about it is to talk about what Systems Engineering is not. One example below (if you prefer to read it long-form click here):
I helped many recruiters to make that distinction. They usually had no idea and ended up thanking me for saving our time due to the wrong keyword matching.
The term Systems Engineer is also applied to Solution Architect, otherwise known as Technical Sales. Nowadays I usually use this to make it very clear: Systems Engineer (the INCOSE type). Well worth visiting the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) - you can start there.
And tell me what you think. Do you have any questions to clarify?
And ...
Can you tell why everyone understands what you say. Almost like you are talking to them in their own language? No?
I'll tell you why:
The magic is in the nature of Systems Engineering. Imagine all those people are technical experts on their own domain: some are SW engineers, some are Electronics engineers, some Mechanical engineers, and so on. They can't always talk to each other, they don't use a common language.
But
You can!
You can understand them all and talk to them all. The Systems Engineer is the bridge that unites all expert disciplines together into a whole. It's both the oil that makes them work together and the glue that makes the final product a whole.
This final product is the SYSTEM being developed.
What is a System then? Why is it important to clearly define it and how to manage it's development?
That will be the subject of the next email.
In the meantime don't be the cashier who is terrified to say Hello :)
Just reply to this email and tell me who you are, and why did you join this group. What are you trying to achieve? We're here to help.
Oh, and tell me what you think a System is?
