The new taxonomy of systems: toward an adaptive systems engineering framework

Systems engineering is developing rapidly, while new standards are created and new tools are being developed. However, the theoretical understanding and the conceptual foundation of systems engineering are still in their early stages. For example, although real-world systems exhibit considerable differences, there is very little distinction in the literature between the system type and the description of its actual system engineering pursuit. We suggest here a new approach to systems engineering. It is based on the premise that the actual process of systems engineering must be adaptive to the real system type. Using this concept, we present a two-dimensional (2-D) taxonomy in which systems are classified according to four levels of technological uncertainty, and three levels of system scope. We then describe the differences found in systems engineering styles in various areas, such as system requirements, functional allocation, systems design, project organization, and management style. We also claim that adapting the wrong system and management style may cause major difficulties during the process of system creation. Two examples will be analyzed to illustrate this point: the famous Space Shuttle case and one of the system development projects we studied.