Building Quality Intelligent Transportation Systems Through Systems Engineering

Overview

This monograph is intended to introduce the topic of systems engineering to managers and staff working on transportation systems projects, with particular emphasis on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) projects. Systems engineering is a discipline that has been used for over 50 years and has its roots in the building of large, complex systems for the Department of Defense. Systems engineering is an approach to building systems that enhances the quality of the end result and the expectation is that its application to transportation systems projects will make those projects more effective in developing and implementing the systems they are intended to build. Although applying systems engineering techniques on a project doesn’t guarantee success, not following a systems engineering approach is a strong recipe for failure. This monograph presents a common approach to systems engineering, one that is followed in many industries and domains, not just by Defense Department contractors. This approach emphasizes the combination of technical and management activities that produce a disciplined approach to building systems. And, although anyone from a technical or scientific discipline can learn to practice good systems engineering techniques, the most effective systems engineers are those who also bring domain knowledge about the system being built. Since the domain knowledge in transportation systems involves knowledge of transportation systems, it is important to being familiarizing transportation engineers about this discipline. This monograph is intended for use in conjunction with the systems engineering courses being offered by the National Highway Institute.