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Managing Complexity with Agility and Openness
Author(s) -
Rosser Larri A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
incose international symposium
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2334-5837
DOI - 10.1002/j.2334-5837.2019.00593.x
Subject(s) - agile software development , interconnectivity , computer science , pace , knowledge management , complexity management , heuristics , openness to experience , orchestration , management science , process management , engineering management , systems engineering , engineering , software engineering , business , artificial intelligence , psychology , social psychology , musical , art , geodesy , marketing , visual arts , geography , operating system
This paper, based on a series of observational studies, workshops and panel sessions with systems engineering practitioners who apply agile and open concepts to complex systems, describes a pragmatic approach to identifying manifestations of complexity in engineered systems and applying agile and open concepts to managing that complexity. The author's intent is to apply the heuristics and recommendations in this paper to a number of projects in the form of structured pilots to advance empirical understanding of tactics for managing complexity in engineering. Engineering projects and systems are becoming increasingly dynamic, intricate and collaborative in response to forces such as globalization, interconnectivity, the pace of technical change and integration of human and natural systems. Approaches emerging in response to these changes include complex systems science, agile frameworks and techniques, and open architecture methods and standards. Systems Engineering practitioners are beginning to employ these approaches in combination to address the challenges of current and future needs. Domains such as Agile Space employ open architectures as enablers for agility. Teams employ agile methods to solve complex problems in security, networking and healthcare domains. As these pairwise applications become more common, the interaction between complexity, agility and openness become more frequent and intricate. This paper explores ways in which these interactions can enhance engineering practice.