Technical Activities INCOSE is involved in a wide range of technical activities, both within INCOSE and in partnership with other societies and organizations.

INCOSE’s technical activities can be broken into the following categories:

• Education & Research
• Standards
• Technical Review
• Technical Projects
• Events
• Technical Information

There are also numerous working groups, each tackling its own issues and problems.

What is the INCOSE Technical Matrix?

Systems Engineering is a universal concept of managing complexity. Although Systems Engineering got its start in the Aerospace and Defense industry, the universality of Systems Thinking has caused it to outgrow that realm. In addition, the science of Systems Engineering itself is so encompassing there are sub-specializations and disciplines within it. Recognizing this, INCOSE has created the Technical Matrix.

INCOSE's Technical Matrix

The Technical Matrix is INCOSE’s means of communicating technical activities.

The matrix explicitly recognizes INCOSE is more than just Aerospace and Defense by establishing a broad range of Application Sectors along one axis. Systems Engineering Enablers, such as Systems Science, Technical Processes, SE Management Processes, SE Support Processes, Modeling & Tools, and Specialty Engineering is the other axis. So the enablers axis is a list of WHAT we do, while the sectors axis is a list of WHERE we do it. One can imagine the ability to map any combination of enablers and sectors. Naturally, there are some capabilities or characteristics which could be applied across the entire range of sectors and enablers. For instance, SE Certification is applicable across the entire matrix as is Education. Such things are called Cross-Cut categories.

Using the Matrix, every member can map his or her unique strengths and interests. Likewise working groups and special projects will be able to identify their own unique combinations of sectors and enablers so that potential participants can more easily identify with them. Even papers, presentations and tutorials can use the technical matrix to help intended audiences zero-in on them.

The matrix is not just to communicate areas of focus. It is an entire organizational structure for INCOSE’s technical activities.

Each sector and enabler has a person identified as the Assistant Director for it. This assistant director has a number of responsibilities. The first and foremost of these responsibilities is to be the eyes and ears of INCOSE for all developments within that sector or enabler. They then communicate regularly with INCOSE via the Technical Leadership Team. The other role that these assistant directors play is as champions for working groups. There can be a large number of working groups, projects and interest groups of various maturity levels. While the Associate Director for Technical Projects is responsible for overseeing the progress of projects, not every working group is pursuing projects all the time and some working groups are working on initiatives that have not quite reached project status. For these developmental activities, the Assistant Directors act as a kind of mentor and champion. They provide guidance and also provide recognition. They insulate initiatives from becoming burdened by oversight or administration. Hopefully, this insulation helps to bring out the entrepreneurial and visionary spirit within our membership ranks and will enable like-minded individuals to cooperate on ideas and concepts that are interesting to them. As one can imagine, a working group or project can have complicated intersections across the Technical Matrix such that they might not fit within any one sector or enabler. In these cases, champions are chosen by best-fit or workload.

The list of active working groups and initiatives is shown next to the technical matrix. Please follow the links for more information on any particular working group.

Contact TLT-Comms@incose.org for additional information or to get involved with these technical activities.