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| − | __NOTOC__
| + | Welcome to v 1.3 of the SEBoK. I have recently taken the post of Editor in Chief for BKCASE, which includes responsibility for the SEBoK. Many thanks to the [[BKCASE Governance and Editorial Board|BKCASE Governors]] and the members of the [[BKCASE Governance and Editorial Board#Editorial Board|Editorial Board]] for their support. Special thanks to the outgoing Editor in Chief Art Pyster and Co-Editor in Chief Dave Olwell, who led the BKCASE efforts from 2009 through the beginning of 2014, and to all the members of the previous BKCASE Core Team. |
| − | ==History, Motivation, and Value==
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| − | The Body of Knowledge and Curriculum to Advance Systems Engineering Project (BKCASE), which began in the fall of 2009, created a community-based ''Guide to the Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge (SEBoK)'' and a ''Graduate Reference Curriculum for Systems Engineering (GRCSE)'' (Pyster and Olwell et al. 2012) (Please see http://www.bkcase.org for more information). The SEBoK came into being out of a recognition that the systems engineering (SE) discipline could benefit greatly by having a living authoritative guide that discusses what is included in the discipline, how the discipline should be structured to facilitate understanding, and what documents are the most important to the discipline. A key principle of the BKCASE project is that the SEBoK and GRCSE will always be available free worldwide – including the revisions to those products.
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| − | Through the end of 2012, BKCASE was led by Stevens Institute of Technology and the Naval Postgraduate School in coordination with several professional societies and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), which provided generous funding. Volunteers from dozens of companies, universities, and professional societies across 10 countries contributed many thousands of hours writing the SEBoK articles; their organizations provided significant other contributions in-kind. For additional information on the BKCASE authors, please see the [[Acknowledgements]] article.
| + | ==SEBoK v. 1.3== |
| | + | The primary focus of the Editorial Board for SEBoK v. 1.3 was review of references to ensure that they continue to represent the most current information and resources from the systems engineering community. In addition, the Editors and authors have generated new case studies and provided updates to existing case studies. The primary changes from SEBoK v. 1.2 are: |
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| − | The scale and complexity of BKCASE emerged over the first few months of the project. Systems engineering is large and relatively immature when compared to more classic engineering disciplines, such as electrical and mechanical engineering. We are extremely pleased with how the community rose to the challenge. New authors continually stepped up when gaps in the writing team were identified and we routinely assembled 25 to 30 authors every three months in a multi-day workshop to iron out issues and make key decisions.
| + | *Three new case studies on Business Transformation, Next Generation Air Traffic Control, and NASA's Mission to Saturn, |
| | + | *Updates to the [[Hubble Space Telescope Case Study]], and |
| | + | *Updates to references and content to reflect the publication of the newest version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK). |
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| − | One of the most critical decisions occurred in January 2011, when the team confirmed a switch to a wiki-based presentation for the body of knowledge. This added much complexity to the effort, but offered great advantages in terms of the modularity for update, access to interim material by the authors, easy review and suggestions for improvements, and flexible navigation. In hindsight, the impact of choosing a wiki was much greater than we understood, but we are very happy we went down that path. We believe this format to present the body of knowledge will serve the SE community much better than if we had produced a traditional PDF or Word document.
| + | ==Future Direction for SEBoK== |
| | + | The Editorial Board has also been working on an ongoing review of the current SEBoK content and structure and developing plans. Some of the areas under consideration for revision over the next 18 months include: |
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| − | To help ensure both the quality of the SEBoK and its acceptance by the community, it was vital that the SEBoK be created with an open collaborative process. Specifically, each version had public review and each review comment was adjudicated. The adjudication results can be found at [[SEBoK Review and Adjudication]].
| + | *General exploration of ways in which we can better cover cross cutting application issues such as model based SE and agile life cycle approaches. |
| | + | *Part 2 updates with International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS) |
| | + | *Part 3 alignment and co-evolution with other systems engineering life cycle documentation, in particular ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 and the INCOSE ''Systems Engineering Handbook'', v. 4.0. |
| | + | *Part 4 continue to look at the broadest possible range of system engineering applications. This will include expansion of the [[Service Systems Engineering|Service]] and [[Enterprise Systems Engineering|Enterprise]] knowledge areas. |
| | + | *Identify the other groups, both within the systems engineering community and beyond, with interest in the topics of Parts 5 and 6 and form stronger relationships with them, e.g. INCOSE Systems Safety working group. |
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| − | The earliest value of the SEBoK has simply been the greater sense of community that has developed among the authors, which include many fellows of professional societies and other leaders in the field. For example, the relationship between Systems Science and Systems Engineering is now more clearly understood than in the past. This relationship is captured in Parts 2 and 3 of the SEBoK.
| + | In all of this, we plan to expand our relationships with key organizations and groups both within systems engineering and outside of it. We aim to ensure that our coverage of existing systems engineering knowledge is complete and to push the boundaries of that knowledge into new approaches and domains. I also want to strengthen further our links to all members of the systems engineering community through things like the [[Sandbox|SEBoK Sandbox]]. I hope that we can gather review comments and content suggestions from as wide a variety of individuals as possible to make the SEBoK a truly community-led product. |
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| − | The greater value of the SEBoK, of course, comes from use by the community. As of the end of October 2013, SEBoK articles have been accessed more than 200,000 times and early usage reports are quite encouraging. We hope the SEBoK will regularly be used by thousands of systems engineers around the world as they undertake such activities as creating systems architectures, developing career paths for systems engineers, and deciding new curricula for systems engineering university programs.
| + | Thank you, |
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| − | The SEBoK is intended to evolve and morph with use and with changes in the field. The wiki structure is particularly well-suited for promoting that purpose. Users are asked to comment about what they like and dislike, what is missing and what should be removed. New articles will be added and existing articles updated regularly.
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| − | At the beginning of 2013, with v. 1.0 of both SEBoK and GRCSE released, BKCASE transitioned to a new governance model with shared stewardship between the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) (see http://www.sercuarc.org), the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) (see http://www.incose.org), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society (IEEE-CS) (see http://www.computer.org). This new governance structure was formalized in an agreement between the three stewards that was finalized in spring of 2013. The stewards have reconfirmed their commitment to the key principle that SEBoK and GRCSE will be available at no cost to the users.
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| − | ==SEBoK Philosophy==
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| − | The SEBoK is sometimes compared to Wikipedia. The SEBoK is like Wikipedia in its most fundamental structure, as it is a collection of wiki articles built on MediaWiki technology. However, the SEBoK is unlike Wikipedia in that its content is carefully controlled. Anyone in the community can suggest changes be made to SEBoK articles, but no one except the SEBoK Editors can actually implement those changes in the SEBoK wiki. Wikipedia is a much more open wiki, allowing virtually anyone to change any article, while reserving the right to undo changes that are offensive or otherwise violate Wikipedia's rules. Tight control over SEBoK content is a tradeoff. Such control ensures a stable baseline whose quality and integrity are assured by its editors. On the other hand, such control discourages some members of the community from contributing improvements to the SEBoK.
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| − | To satisfy both the need for a stable baseline and the desire for broader community involvement, we have implemented a new collaborative space. The ''SEBoK Sandbox'' is a copy of the SEBoK that is separate from the baseline version where anyone in the community can edit articles, recommend new content, or provide comments on existing articles. It is important to note that while anyone in the community can gain access to the Sandbox, all submissions must still be approved by the Editorial Board before they will be folded into a new baseline version of the SEBoK. For more information on how this works, please '''[http://www.sebokwiki.org/sandbox visit the Sandbox]'''.
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| − | ==Version 1.2==
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| − | Version 1.2 of the SEBoK was released 15 November 2013. This was a minor release of the SEBoK which included two new articles, a rewrite of one article, updates to existing articles, and new primary references. The Editorial Board released the next version of the Sandbox in late November 2013.
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| − | Changes between v. 1.1.2 and v. 1.2 included:
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| − | *Two new articles: [[Integrating Supporting Aspects into System Models]] and [[Technical Leadership in Systems Engineering]]
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| − | *Heavy revision to [[Decision Management]]
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| − | *Minor edits to articles in Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and
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| − | *Two new primary references.
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| − | For this version of the SEBoK, the Editors received comments in several ways: through the DISQUS feature of the SEBoK; through edits and new materials received within the SEBoK Sandbox; and through the DISQUS feature of the Sandbox. The editors considered these submissions for v. 1.2. The article on [[Technical Leadership in Systems Engineering]] was submitted through the Sandbox and was incorporated into v. 1.2. Many other edits submitted in the Sandbox were incorporated into this version of the SEBoK. For additional discussion of the motivation for the changes in v. 1.2, please see the [[Release History]].
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| − | ==Version 1.1.2==
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| − | Version 1.1.2 was released 1 August 2013 as a micro release that corrected some errors and added some wiki functionality. The biggest change in the release of v. 1.1.2 was the co-release of the companion SEBoK Sandbox, a collaborative space for the systems engineering community.
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| − | Changes between v. 1.1.1 and v. 1.1.2 included:
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| − | * Version numbers were removed from page titles to improve maintenance of links
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| − | * Reflection of the governance of the SEBoK and oversight through the Editorial Board, including a page called [[Meet the Editors]].
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| − | * A few references were updated, notably in the [[Safety Engineering]] article.
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| − | No comments were adjudicated for this micro release.
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| − | ==Version 1.1.1 ==
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| − | This version was released 14 June 2013 as a micro release that corrected some errors and added some wiki functionality.
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| − | Changes between versions 1.1 and 1.1.1 included:
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| − | * Version numbers were removed from page titles to improve maintenance of links
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| − | * Spelling errors in contributor names were corrected.
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| − | * 'Cite This Page' was revised and improved.
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| − | * A few references were updated, notably in the [[Safety Engineering]] article.
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| − | * Meta-tags were improved to increase visibility to search engines
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| − | * Wiki navigational features --- especially breadcrumbs --- were improved.
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| − | * A counter was added to record PDF downloads.
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| − | No comments were adjudicated for this micro release.
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| − | ==Version 1.1==
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| − | This version, released 26 April 2013, was a minor release which updates many topic articles and glossary articles.
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| − | Changes that were made include:
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| − | * Fourteen topic articles were updated in Parts 1, 2, 3, and 6, for the purpose of expanding or improving the explanation of the topic, or in some cases to add new references.
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| − | * Sixteen glossary terms were updated and two new glossary terms were added.
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| − | * The [[Acknowledgements]] page was updated to reflect the significantly revised governance structure for the SEBoK, which added many new contributors in varying roles.
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| − | * The [[Main Page]] and other Quicklinks pages were modified to reflect the new version.
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| − | * The SEBoK Evolution article formerly in SEBoK v. 1.1 Introduction was deleted, being replaced by an updated version – this Editor's Note article.
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| − | There were no changes to wiki navigation and operation. Comments from v. 1.0.1 that were adjudicated were deleted from DISQUS, while comments still to be adjudicated remain in the wiki.
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| − | ==Upcoming Releases==
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| − | We will regularly update the SEBoK to correct errors, improve existing articles, add new articles, and respond to specific comments from the user community. The current plan is to issue occasional micro updates and two minor updates a year for the first two years, and then decide whether a larger more major revision is needed in the third year or whether additional micro and minor revisions are adequate. Micro updates correct spelling errors and sentence grammar and make other very modest changes and occur as needed. They are identified by three digits - Version 1.x.y. Version 1.0.1 was the first micro release. Minor updates will correct errors, continue to add content to existing articles, including any new references published recently, and perhaps add articles to existing knowledge areas. Minor updates will not change the basic organization of the SEBoK. The editors may not respond to all comments posted in DISQUS for the minor updates. This release, v. 1.2, is the second minor update. Major updates will be unconstrained. All accumulated comments and suggestions will be adjudicated for the major updates, and the adjudication results will be posted for the community.
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| − | New releases are under the control of a Governing Board appointed by the stewards, who oversee the SEBoK Editor-in-Chief, Co-Editor-in-Chief, and an Editorial Board. The stewards contribute resources to manage the SEBoK wiki, support new releases, and encourage SEBoK adoption. Volunteer authors from the world-wide SE community continue to propose and create new content and other volunteers review that new content.
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| − | The next minor release will be v. 1.3, currently scheduled for publication in the first half of 2014. The editors have several new articles and article updates already in the pipeline for v. 1.3. We expect the community will contribute many more new changes during that timeframe.
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| − | [[File:EditorsinChiefSignatures.png||center|400px]]
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| − | <center>
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| − | {|
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| − | |style="background-color: #ffffff"|[[File: Stevens.jpg|300px|center|Stevens Institute of Technology]] |
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| − | |style="background-color: #ffffff"|[[File:Systems_Engineering_Logo_r3.JPG|552px|center|Naval Postgraduate School's Systems Engineering Department]]
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| − | |}
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| − | </center>
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| − | ==Works Cited==
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| − | Pyster, A., D.H. Olwell, T.L.J. Ferris, N. Hutchison, S. Enck, J.F. Anthony, D. Henry, and A. Squires (eds). 2012. ''Graduate Reference Curriculum for Systems Engineering (GRCSE™),'' version 1.0. Hoboken, NJ, USA: The Trustees of the Stevens Institute of Technology ©2012. Available at: http://www.bkcase.org/grcse/.
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| − | {{DISQUS}}
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