CHAPTER 3
THE FUTURE STATE OF SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
By 2035, systems engineering will make significant strides in meeting the challenges and needs described in Chapter 1 on the Global Context for Systems Engineering. Systems solutions will be increasingly characterized as cyber-physical systems (CPS) and product service systems, and will routinely be interconnected with other systems as part of broader systems of systems. The relevance and influence of systems engineering will continue to grow beyond large scale product development to a broad spectrum of engineered and socio-technical systems applications. Systems engineering will moreover become an essential prerequisite and enabler for digital enterprises. Systems engineering will bring a transdisciplinary perspective to these applications that is critical to systems and product innovation, defect reduction, enterprise agility, and increasing user trust. Systems engineering practice will be model-centric, leveraging a vast library of reusable elements, enabling rapid response to changes in stakeholder needs and technology, while providing the essential methodologies to manage ever- increasing complexity and risk across the systems life cycle. Systems engineering will be broadly recognized by governments and industry as a high value contributor, resulting in a growing demand for systems engineering education and skills.
