A comprehensive basis for systems engineering theory

Given the recent systems engineering failures, we suggest that an alternative way of thinking and communicating about systems engineering is essential. We provide the language, a bit of ontology, and some key concepts that will hopefully allow us to discuss the most basic issues of systems engineering in a clear, coherent, and effective way. The main premise of our exposition is that at the core of systems engineering is the concept of organization, which we use in two ways: (1) characterizing the structure within an artifact, and (2) referring to a cultural institution within which people work together in a structured manner.