TGCC Chapter Meeting April 2017

Beyond Murphy’s Law for Systems Engineering

Everyone is familiar with Murphy’s Law – “What can go wrong, will go wrong.” This presentation introduces some other “laws, razors, theories, etc.” that Systems Engineers may run into, such as Occam’s Razor, Parkinson’s Law, Box’s Law, and the Greater Fool Theory. First we will introduce the “law” and then we will postulate some analogies and applications of this “law” to the discipline of systems engineering.

While lighthearted in nature, this presentation seeks to do more than just entertain. The analogies we use will help to shine a light on both proven approaches and new ways to approach the challenges that systems engineers face in today’s dynamic environment.

David D. Walden, ESEP, is co-owner and principal consultant for Sysnovation, LLC, a company he formed in 2006. Sysnovation, based out of Shakopee, Minnesota, USA, is focused on Systems Engineering consulting and education/training.  At Sysnovation, Mr. Walden has assisted numerous clients improve their Systems Engineering effectiveness. He has served as a coach/mentor, an independent reviewer, major review (e.g., PDR, CDR) coordinator, Systems Engineering Subject Matter Expert (SME), and process consultant.  He has created and taught numerous Systems Engineering courses and tutorials, including a distance learning on-line variant of a Systems Engineering Principles course. Previously, Mr. Walden was with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems for 13 years and worked at McDonnell Aircraft Company for 10 years. Mr. Walden has served as an editor of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Systems Engineering Handbook since Version 3.2 and was the Lead Editor of the Fourth Edition. He is an INCOSE liaison to ISO/IEC JTC1/SC7 Working Groups 10 and 20.  He was the Program Manager of the INCOSE Certification Program from 2007-2013.  He has an M.S. in Management of Technology (MOT) from the University of Minnesota, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Science from Washington University in St. Louis, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Valparaiso University in Indiana. Mr. Walden was one of the first to earn the INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) credential in 2004 and was awarded the INCOSE Expert Systems Engineering Professional (ESEP) credential in 2011.