[00] Blog Launch: Systems Engineering 360

Hello and welcome! We are K. Sudhakar [KS] and Devanandham Henry [DH].

Systems Engineering (SE) caused our professional paths to cross in the year 2000 at CASDE (Center for Aerospace Systems Design and Engineering), Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Bombay, India. At that time, both of us were just beginning to unravel what SE was all about – one of us as a student and the other as a Professor. Over the years, we have explored a lot about SE - both together [2000-2006] and individually [2006-2019]. Then, our paths crossed again, and we decided to continue just where we left off over a decade ago! We thought a blog would be a good place to start and try things out, before pursuing more ambitious ideas.

Now, that is a quick summary of the “Systems Engineering 360” blog that we are launching, to share our thoughts, perspectives, suggestions, and experiences. Read on to find out who we are, what we have done in the past (related to SE), and what we plan to do through this blog.

Leading up to 2000

KS grew up in Kochi, Kerala, India, and obtained his B.Tech and M.Tech from IIT Madras, and a Ph.D. from IIT Bombay. He joined the Aircraft Design Bureau at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore, and worked on several projects undertaken during 1973-1984. In 1984 he joined IIT Bombay as a faculty member and stayed there until he retired in 2014. He was a key force behind setting up CASDE at IIT Bombay, which welcomed its first batch of M.Tech Aerospace SE students in 2000.

DH grew up in Vellore, Tamilnadu, and obtained his B.Tech from Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai. Then, he joined the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Bangalore as a Scientist, and worked on the design and development of the Indian Light Combat Aircraft (LCA, now called Tejas). While at ADA, he got an opportunity to pursue an M.Tech at IIT Bombay on an exciting new discipline called SE! He went to CASDE in 2000 along with 5 other classmates from ADA, HAL, and ISRO as the first batch.

2000 - 2006

At IIT Bombay, there was excitement about CASDE not just for the new physical space with the latest classroom facilities, but also for the topics being explored and activities being planned and carried out. In different ways, we were exploring various aspects of SE, with a focus on aerospace systems.

We set up a Special Interest Group in Systems Engineering (SIG-SE), conducted SE and Systems Thinking workshops, began exploring SE tools (particularly for Requirements), and started working on a real-life case study. Much of the SE activity was focused on the aerospace industry (HAL, ADA, DRDO, ISRO, NAL, etc.). We had initiated interactions with some companies in the Indian automotive industry, and INCOSE was just starting up a chapter in India.

A lot of activity was also focused on MDO (Multidisciplinary Design Optimization) which was another hot upcoming topic at that time. We set up a Special Interest Group SIG-MDO, organized many discussions involving those who were interested, conducted an international conference in Goa, and organized MDO workshops.

In 2006, through the efforts of KS, Dr. Kota Harinarayana, and Dr. Dinesh Verma, DH went to Stevens Institute of Technology, USA to pursue a Ph.D. in SE. Though we remained in touch, DH and KS went along different paths over the next 13 years.

2006 – 2019

DH wore multiple hats during his time in the US – student, researcher, lecturer, and assistant professor. He worked at the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) and was part of the core team that brought out the guide to the Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge (SEBoK) – www.sebokwiki.org, the Graduate Reference Curriculum in Systems Engineering (GRCSE), and Atlas: The Theory of Effective Systems Engineers (through the Helix project). He was involved with many other SE projects and activities sponsored by SE-related organizations including the US Department of Defense.

Meanwhile, KS continued to explore SE at IIT Bombay. He also headed the SE Panel of the Aeronautics Research and Development Board (AR&DB) that supported Grants-in-aid projects and was a member of the Systems Engineering Advisory Board set up by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to review its Aero projects from an SE perspective.

Systems Engineering 360

When DH returned to India in 2019, we started talking about what we could do together. Many ideas came up, and we decided to start with a blog. This will also serve as a testbed for some of our grander plans. We are calling this blog ‘Systems Engineering 360’. SE will be the focus and always at the core. We are then going to take a 360-degree view along various dimensions. We will cut across domains, industries, and disciplines. We will talk about research, education, practice, processes, tools, and methods. We will offer explanations, suggestions, opinions, and perspectives. We will draw from our experiences in the industry, government, and academia – both Indian and international. We will talk about contemporary topics, things from the past, as well as future trends.

Every article will be packaged in a way that it can stand alone. As we publish new articles, we will refer to some of our previous articles for context. We will point to a Bibliography that will constantly keep evolving. Over the years, our thoughts and ideas have been shaped by many books, articles, talks, and various other resources. The Bibliography is a place for us to list them. We do not claim exclusivity in what we are saying - but at the same time, we cannot always point to a specific source of reference for many things we talk about. As we prepare every article, one of us will be taking the lead and then we will be discussing, debating, and deliberating between us before it gets published. And when you get to read the article, it would capture both our thoughts in a seamless way that we ourselves will not know who wrote what! That is our intent.

So - hop on and allow us to be your guides on this SE journey we are embarking on. Be prepared to stop and look at what we are pointing - to the right or left for things around us, to the front for what’s coming up, or to look back at what happened in the past and what we can learn from it. Bookmark this blog, subscribe so that you can get notifications, and engage with us by offering your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and corrections. We hope this journey will be enriching for you as much as it will be for us.

Watch out for our first content article in a few days, and then on for a new article every other week or so.

- KS & DH