A theory for the systems engineering process

A theory for describing the systems engineering process using formal mathematical structures is presented in this paper. This abstraction of the systems engineering process makes it possible to concentrate on the operations and structures involved in the process without the distraction of the narrative word. An important aspect in the formulation of this theory is the inclusion of people as part of it. Further development of the theory will lead to the implementation of the mathematical description in simulation software to study the dynamic characteristics of and interaction of people with the systems engineering process as well as systematically validating the theory through empirical studies.