Blog Archives

The AI team takes a deep dive into an unpublished manuscript, written by an anonymous engineer, which presents a critical analysis of the “Formal Systems Engineering Process” (FSEP) prevalent in the older, large-scale aerospace and defense contracting industries. The author argues that FSEP, combined with an ideology called “Managerialism,” fosters an inefficient, top-down bureaucratic culture that stifles innovation and leads to high costs and reduced reliability. This system, characterized by excessive reliance on formal requirements, spreadsheets, micromanagement, and favoritism, is … Continue reading →

The AI team takes a deep dive into the PeopleCert book Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 (2023) which serves as a comprehensive guide to the project management methodology. The content covers the seven PRINCE2 principles, such as “ensure continued business justification” and “focus on products,” and introduces the seven practices: Business Case, Organizing, Plans, Quality, Risk, Issues, and Progress, which describe essential project management aspects. Furthermore, the source details the project lifecycle processes, including (1) Starting up a project, … Continue reading →

The AI team takes a deep dive into Agentic AI for Dummies. The book provides an introduction to a transformative technology that moves beyond simple content generation to proactive decision-making and independent action. Unlike traditional software, these systems utilize multi-agent coordination and adaptive behavior to complete complex, multi-step goals with minimal human oversight. The material details the technical architecture required for these agents, emphasizing the importance of memory modules, reasoning engines, and tool integration through APIs. It also provides a practical framework for planning and … Continue reading →

The  AI team takes a deep dive into the Department of Defense Mission Engineering Guide (Version 2.0), which provides a standardized, interdisciplinary framework for analyzing and designing military missions to achieve specific outcomes. This methodology decomposes missions into mission threads and engineering threads to evaluate how different technologies, systems, and tactics impact overall success. By utilizing digital engineering tools and quantitative modeling, the guide helps practitioners identify capability gaps and inform high-level investment and acquisition decisions. The process is highly iterative, moving from … Continue reading →

Our AI team takes a deep dive into a 2013 conference paper which critiques Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), arguing that it largely rehashes existing systems engineering principles from a more holistic perspective. The author contends that MBSE’s focus on modeling overlooks the potential of advanced information technology to improve systems engineering tools. The paper proposes integrating existing research to enhance these tools with “smart” capabilities such as improved requirements management and risk assessment. It advocates … Continue reading →