INCOSE Certification Exam Prep Course

Systems Engineering: Building Analyzing & Managing Systems

Systems Engineering (SE) is a discipline that actually found its start with military and space programs in the mid-1960s. The systems engineer is like an orchestra conductor who is not an expert musician in each instrument, but who integrates each musician (each discipline) together to form a symphony (a system). At its core, System Engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design and manage complex systems over their life cycles. A Systems Engineer is concerned with the overall process of defining, developing, operating, maintaining, and eventually replacing quality systems, where other engineering disciplines (electrical, mechanical, human, aerospace, software, etc,) concentrate on the specifics of a system (electronics, mechanics, ergonometrics, aerodynamics, software, etc.). Systems thinking allows the systems engineer to focus on the integration of all of these aspects as a coherent and effective system (considering both the business and the technical aspects) to ensure that the stakeholder's needs are satisfied in a high quality, reliable, cost efficient and schedule compliant manner.

The process associated with SE is usually comprised of the following, non-sequential, seven tasks that can be summarized with the acronym SIMILAR: State the problem, Investigate alternatives, Model the system, Integrate, Launch the system, Assess performance, and Re-evaluate. (State, Investigate, Model, Integrate, Launch, Assess and Re-evaluate: SIMILAR).

This is a graduate course that provides a comprehensive treatment and review of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Systems Engineering (SE) Handbook, Fourth Edition (V4), in preparation for INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional (SEP) Certification. This course can help SE students prepare towards obtaining INCOSE SEP Certification.

Course Topics:

• Certification Introduction, Overview, Experience, and Application Help
• Tutorial Introduction
• Scope
• SE Overview
• Generic Life-Cycle Stages
• Technical Processes
• Technical Management Processes
• Agreement Processes
• Organizational Project- Enabling Processes
• Tailoring Processes
• Cross-Cutting Systems Engineering Methods
• Specialty Engineering Activities

Course Mechanics:

• For each Week, view and listen to the recordings, and as needed, go through the PowerPoint presentation slides and notes view.
• As needed, go through the corresponding INCOSE SE Handbook chapters and sections.
• As needed, go through materials accumulated from all your SE program courses and the optional readings listed above and/or or provided in Canvas. Compare them with the INCOSE SE Handbook. Notify the instructor at joclark@odu.edu of any major differences.
• Complete and email the assigned homework for each Week by 6 pm Eastern Time USA on Friday per the course schedule to the instructor at joclark@odu.edu.
• Go to the next Week.
• After completing and emailing the assigned homework for the mid-semester and for the whole semester, take the mid-semester and final exams, respectively.

In a paper written by John Thomas, ESEP and INCOSE President 2012-2013, he expressed some of the following ideas in what he felt was the true definition of a Systems Engineering Professional.

Systems Engineering Professionals (SEPs) can break down barriers, they have a sense of empowerment—and the good judgment to know exactly where and how far they can push.

They get the job done because they focus on outcome, not process. They are collaborative, not competitive. They can solve problems because they understand the nuances and complex interrelationships inherent in a given situation. They get the job done because they embrace responsibility. And they solve problems because their skills and knowledge are both deep and broad.

Pre-Requisites:

An undergraduate degree is required for this three (3) credit graduate course. A candidate can be either: 1) a non-degree seeking student or 2) a current ODU degree seeking student or an alumni. A non-degree seeking student must enroll in ODU if they are not already an ODU student or an alumni. Then they can register for this course. Twelve (12) credit hours is the maximum that a non-degree seeking student can take before admission into the College/Department of choice.

For a non-degree seeking student, no GRE scores are required. There is a $50 application fee. Once accepted, non-degree seeking students are directed on how to establish your university identity and register for classes.

To take this course and to satisfy the copyright requirements of the INCOSE SE Handbook, each student must be either:

1. A member of INCOSE,
2. An employee of a Corporate Advisory Council (CAB) member of INCOSE who becomes an INCOSE associate member, or
3. An employee/student of an Academic Council member of INCOSE (a part of the CAB) who becomes an INCOSE associate member.

Becoming an SEP is not required for this course. To become a member of INCOSE, click on this INCOSE MEMBERSHIP link. To determine if you are an employee or student of a CAB member, click on this INCOSE CAB link, and then apply to become an INCOSE associate member. Learn more about the certification process at INCOSE SE Professional Certification.

Degrees that qualify for the minimum experience when applying for CSEP or ESEP include BS or BSE (or international equivalents through such mechanisms as the Washington Accord or the Bologna Agreement) in the following or related engineering disciplines: aeronautics, astronautics, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial, mechanical, nuclear, software, systems.

For U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) employees, our office can provide special instructions. Email us at Here4U@odu.edu for details.

Systems engineers are in high demand around the world and professional certification gives them a competitive advantage. INCOSE has over 17,000 members and 70 chapters in over 35 countries around the world. As a Certified INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional, an individual's capabilities are formally recognized across industry domains. The SEP designation provides: a discriminator for job applicants; competitive advantage in career pursuits; and participation in continuing education toward personal development.

One clear indication of this effect is seen in the quantity and quality of the organizations seeking SEP certifications in their job postings, recent examples including: Lockheed Martin, Central Intelligence Agency, JB Management, Northrop Grumman Corporation, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, DRS Technologies, Raytheon, Logistics Management Institute, The Mitre Corporation, and SAIC to name a few. A Certified INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional designation also opens opportunities as it is being used more often as a qualifier in proposals.

INCOSE is designed to connect SE professionals with educational, networking, and career-advancement opportunities in the interest of developing the global community of systems engineers and systems approaches to problems. As a Certified INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional and member, an individual has access to the INCOSE job board, and networking opportunities through chapters and working groups with a designation that opens prospects as a qualifier in more and more proposals.

The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) is a not-for-profit membership organization founded to develop and disseminate the interdisciplinary principles and practices that enable the realization of successful systems. INCOSE is also focused on producing state-of-the-art work products that support and enhance this discipline's visibility in the world.

INCOSE leveraged it's 25 years of experience to inspire and guide the creation of Vision 2025, a publication with the intent to illustrate the impact of systems engineering to healthcare, utilities, transportation, defense, finance - toward solving our world's many complicated demands. Vision 2025: A World In Motion maps the direction of systems engineering and envisions the future state of the field in the years to come with the input of thought leaders from industry, academia and government. Vision 2025 addresses:

• The Global Context for Systems Engineering
• The Current State of Systems Engineering
• The Future State of Systems Engineering