How To Do Systems Analysis: Primer And Casebook

This book provides an introduction to systems engineering, mainly at the conceptual or “systems thinking” level. Using a principle based approach, the authors concentrate on theart of systems engineering, rather than the modeling methods or the formalprocesses. This book enhances the original material discussed in How to Do Systems Analysis (Wiley, 2007), fundamentally, problem solving for large-scale complex systems. Half of this book sets forth the material and half of it contains case studies illustrating the material. In the first half of the book, the authors provide an introduction to the concepts of systems analysis. They present six major phases of systems analysis, providing a method for problem solving across diverse disciplines. The authors also detail a seven-step process for creating a meaningful problem statement. Properties of Index of Performance (IP) and relevant issues are discussed, and the critical process of generating candidate solutions is covered. Additionally, the authors examine the issues involved in managing the systems analysis process and outline the 10 “Golden Rules” of systems analysis. The second half of the book contains practical examples of consulting engagements and case studies in which these principles are applied.

John E. Gibson, PhD, was the Commonwealth Distinguished Professor of Systems Management at the School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville. He served as Dean of Engineering at the University of Virginia and at Oakland University.? Dr. Gibson was working on this book at the time of his death.?

William T. Scherer, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Virginia, where he teaches courses on systems engineering.? Dr. Scherer was a student in Dr. Gibson’s classes and later became a colleague.? Dr. Scherer has authored and co-authored numerous publications on intelligent decision support systems, stochastic control, systems engineering education, and financial engineering. He is a former President of IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Society and has won numerous teaching awards while at the University of Virginia.

William F. Gibson, MBA, MPA, is the Senior Managing Director and President of IVY Creek Associates, an international consulting firm for global asset managers, brokerage firms, and banks. He was Global Chief Operating Officer at ING Investment Management, and the Head of Securities and Fund Services Operations – EMEA at Citigroup. Mr. Gibson has led the infrastructure groups of global financial services firms, and is actively engaged in developing and applying new technologies in those domains. He has also been an executive lecturer at the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

Michael C. Smith, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Accelerated Masters Program in Systems Engineering at the University of Virginia. Prior to joining the University of Virginia, Dr. Smith was a Senior Scientist at Science Applications International Corporation (now Leidos) and also served on the Industrial Engineering faculties at Oregon State University and the University of Missouri. In addition to directing the University of Virginia’s Accelerated Master’s Program, Dr. Smith teaches an introductory course in systems thinking and the systems approach, drawing on many of the case studies in this book.