Fun for better communication in systems engineering
Communication in systems engineering is essential in order to cope with the challenges posed by increasing complexity. This applies to communication within the team as well as the communication of SE (training courses, presentations) and the exchange with others outside the daily environment. Ideally with a little (or a lot) of fun.
In this guest article, Klaus Rödel describes how this can work. Klaus has been active in GfSE for many years and is organizing this year's GfSE Systems Camp Rhine-Neckar in Mannheim on 29.10.2022 (Registration). In addition, his employer is organizing the one-and-a-half-day mini-conference Systems Engineering Playground for the first time, which aims to bring together fun, communication and exchange in systems engineering.
In this guest article, Klaus Rödel explains why we need fun and how it promotes communication.
Learn and try out systems engineering with ease
The "new" buzzword is systems engineering or even better Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE). It is much needed and used as a trend to follow now and without MBSE it will be difficult to deliver products in the future.
But haven't we been successfully developing products and systems for years or even decades? In some cases even with MBSE? What has changed so much? Why should the Previous principle no longer work?
Communication as a bottleneck
The answers to these questions are manifold and there are more aspects than are described below. One aspect is communication. The number of teams working on a product or system has risen sharply in recent years. In order for systems and products to fulfill their purpose and function successfully, a constant, active and lively exchange between team members and development teams is required during development.
How would you, dear reader, describe the communication in your environment?
To strengthen communication, it often helps to take a look in the mirror and do some proper self-reflection. The following questions will help you to recognize your current status:
- Does communication take place on an equal footing between the discussion partners? Are the ideas and solutions of others respected and at the same time is the optimal overall solution chosen? Can I accept that my proposed solution will be replaced by a better one? Do I appreciate the proposed solutions and the commitment of others when my proposed solution is implemented?
- Do the individual participants speak the same language? (Please note that we believe this refers to the terminology)
- Have the boundaries of the system and the responsibilities within the system been clarified? And related to this, what "leeway" does the development team of a subsystem or system component have? Do I know what I have to communicate or where my interfaces are and what I can decide freely without having to communicate it?
These and other questions about communication in systems engineering will be discussed at the Systems Engineering Spielwiese on October 27/28 in Mannheim. Whether we also talk about this at systemscamp on 29.10. is of course up to you (Barcamp 101).
Systems engineering playground: Communication with fun
Do you think that building blocks are just a toy for children and that you don't learn anything by playing? Come along and let us convince you otherwise. We want to address the topic of communication in interactive games with the help of the small terminal blocks and thus learn how communication and application of systems engineering can work in a team.
With the Spielwiese we are trying to establish a new format for a conference and cordially invite you to our Systems Engineering Spielwiese on October 27 and 28, 2022 in Mannheim. For SE-Trends readers there is a discount of 10% with code SETRENDS10. Click here for the Registration >>
We deliberately keep the event small (20 to a maximum of 50 participants) to enable effective group work and thus promote communication and playfulness.
We conclude the first day with a joint cooking session. What could be better than completing a joint systems engineering project and then consuming the product yourself?
As a bonus, the next day's participation in the systemscamp is free for participants of the Spielwiese.
