Interface Engineering and Systems Management Education in the Computer Age

In our increasingly complex industrial endeavors, there are "corporate structures" of management dedicated to the efficient operation of the business. It is becoming increasingly important that these managers be aware of the fundamentals involved, the secondary side effects, the changes resulting from computer applications, and the requirement that their efforts must have a central engineering logic if they are to be effective. Today's system and technical managers must do more than regulate human beings in the reduction of a goal to its simplest form for solution. They must coordinate work on many complex, interacting components to attain one compatible, central, predefined function. An individual who can comprehend the whole picture as well as understand the applicable physical laws, politics, and economics must also understand the utilization of the full capability of modem data processing and simulation equipment if he is to be on top of every problem in the timely application of the trade-offs necessary to the planning, construction, and operation of an efficient system. It is not enough to have talent available on tap to solve problems as they arise. This obviously calls for a capability to: 1) recognize and define problems, 2) utilize data processing and computation tools for optimization, and 3) specify solutions. It also means complete integration and coordination at all levels of management. The alternative is duplication and chaos, luxuries which the engineering profession and a healthy nation cannot afford.