EagleRidge Technologies' Favorite Links -- Systems Engineering and Project Management

Systems Engineering and Project Management

• Relating to the physical universe within which systems operate:
  • See the Math & Science links
  
  
• Systems Engineering Consulting and Training
  
  • EagleRidge Technologies, Inc. -- Systems Engineering Training, Project Management Training, Course Development, Distance Learning, Web-based Course Development, Editing, Writing, Systems Engineering consulting, Programming...
    Services offered by Ertin.com
  • TEAMS of Houston -- Training, Course Development, and Systems Engineering Consulting
    TeamsOfHouston.com
  • Free reference book on the Fundamentals of Engineering, from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), in PDF format
  
  
• Systems Engineering (general)
  
  • System Engineering Management Plan -- Systems engineering standards links
    http://www.airtime.co.uk/users/wysywig/wysywig.htm
  • Systems Engineering Process: A Technical Bibliography -- here at INCOSE.org
  • Pragmatic Principles of Systems Engineering (from INCOSE) -- Good systems engineering overview and standards links    http://www.incose.org/workgrps/practice/pragprin.html
  • Twelve Systems Engineering Roles, by Sarah Sheard, Proceedings of INCOSE, 1996.
  • Additional Systems Engineering Roles," by Ken Kyler (a former student of Dr. McCumber)
  • What is cybernetics?
  • Principia Cybernetica Web -- lots of information about cybernetics and systems!
    
    
• Systems Engineering, Systems Theory, and Cybernetics Professional Organizations
  
  • The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) -- Systems engineering professional organization at incose.org.
  • IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society -- Systems Engineering and Cybernetics professional organization at http://www.ieee.org/organizations/society/smc.html, part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
  • The Cybernetics Society -- the UK national learned society and professional body promoting pure and applied cybernetics
  • American Society for Cybernetics -- dedicated to the advancement of the field of cybernetics.
  • International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR)-- international cybernetics organization, at http://www.sea.uni-linz.ac.at/ifsr/.  "The overall purpose of the Federation is to advance cybernetic and systems research and systems applications and to serve the international systems community."
  • International Association for Cybernetics -- Papers published are about half in French, half in English.
  • Comprehensive list of societies at Principia Cybernetica Web.

   

• Dictionaries, Reference, Classic Texts...
  
  • Web Dictionary of Cybernetics and Systems -- Part of the  Principia Cybernetica Web, "this dictionary is a combination (with permission) of the ASC Glossary, Krippendorff's Dictionary and Hornung's Glossary."
  • An Introduction to Cybernetics, by W. Ross Ashby, 1956 (Chapman & Hall, London). Classic cybernetics text, "still fresh" and "modern."
  • Library database of the Department of Medical Cybernetics and AI at the University of Vienna.  Over 62,000 books and papers.
    
    
• Operational Need
  • Marine Corps Operational Requirement Document (ORD) Handbook -- The ORD is part of the OND, that part that describes how the system is supposed to be, i.e., your vision of the future: here.   
    
    
• Operational Concept
  • Operational Concept Document Sample -- European ATM network    http://www.eurocontrol.be/projects/eatchip/ocd/
  • Operational Concept Document Sample -- Army combat health support    http://www.tradoc.army.mil/tpubs/pams/52550frm.htm
  • Operational Concept Document Samples -- Cockpit display of traffic information    http://www.caasd.org/cdti/
    
• Systems Design
  • Use Case Papers -- excellent Use Case links.    http://www.pols.co.uk/usecasezone/papers.htm
  • Use Case Maps home page -- Everything about Use Case Maps (UCM). Very good site! Includes excellent UML links too.    http://www.usecasemaps.org/
  • Tutorials -- Good short tutorials on Use Cases, Architecture, Client/Server, and more! Sample scenarios, use cases, diagrams, etc.    http://www.object-ideas.com/tutpage.htm; Note: Apparently being re-done as of 6/4/2000, so not all tutorials are currently available.  But some are, and the  information is excellent when it's here. Check back again if you don't find what you are looking for the first time. :)
  • Use Case article -- Good tutorial on Use Cases, with practical examples, and a discussion of different types of Use Cases.    http://www.ratio.co.uk/rsi.htm
  • Overview of Object-Oriented Design and Analysis Using UML -- Good white paper.    http://www.ratio.co.uk/white.html
  • Object/Component Journal for Software Professionals -- Download Issue #3 and back issues here. Excellent articles on Use Cases, Design Patterns, etc.   http://www.ratio.co.uk/   
  • Humor: The First Book of System Design.
  • Design
    • What is Good Design?: short column by Mary Morris.     http://www.sun.com/950801/columns/MaryMorris.col9508.html
    • High-Level Design Checklist -- http://www.construx.com/chk06.htm. This is just one of the Software Development Checklists available at: http://www.construx.com/chk.htm See also their Software Development Sample Documents at http://www.construx.com/doc.htm, and their Software Project Survival Guide page at http://www.construx.com/survivalguide/home.htm.
      
      
• Project Management
  (see also: the "Software Engineering" links section.
  • Project Management Book of Knowledge: free book in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format.     http://www.pmi.org/publictn/pmboktoc.htm
  • Internet Directory of Generally Accepted Practices in Project Management -- here
  • Information Week Online: This "Interactive Source for Managing Technology in Business" is the online version of Information Week magazine. Good news and resources for the IT manager.    http://www.informationweek.com/
  • Word Problem practice and help for Project Managers and others:
    • Word Problems for Kids -- Problems are rated by grade, for 5th through 12th grades.  If you can do all these, you should be OK with many project management word problems.
    • Word Problems on Job Completion -- If you can always get problems like these right, you should do just fine solving scheduling and resource allocation problems using project management software.
    • SOS Math -- Algebra -- Most of this page is beyond what you will need in introductory project management classes, but the arithmetic links at the beginning talk about problems you should be able to solve.
    • Math Archives - Topics in Math - Arithmetic -- Lots of links for help with arithmetic from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
  • Scheduling and Earned Value Management:

    • Tutorial on Simulation of PERT Networks -- Has good PERT overview too, tutorial on use of Monte Carlo simulation and PERT, more...here

    • Some PERT charts from NASA -- Real examples, in Adobe Acrobat format, here

    • Advantages and disadvantages of PERT charts listed, here

    • Comparison of PERT and CPM -- Another list. Note: AOA = Activity on Arrow, AON = Activity on Node, here

    • Critical Path Method (CPM) Terms -- Click through the slides get all the information, here

    • More on PERT -- Example of allowing for uncertainty, here

    • The Navy's Earned Value Management links. A good starting point -- http://www.nawcwpns.navy.mil/~teclib/Earnval.html
    • Earned Value Management Web Site: Integrating Cost, Schedule and Technical Performance for Project Management. DoD on EVM. Another good starting place. -- http://www.acq.osd.mil/pm/
    • NNH's Earned Value FAQ -- http://www.nnh.com/ev/faqs.html
    • Scheduling in a Nutshell. Good site on all aspects of scheduling. -- http://www.nnh.com/ev/nut2.html
    • Some papers on Earned Value, Project Scheduling, PERT, Performance Measurement, Role of the Project Manager, Work Breakdown Structure, and much more -- http://www.nnh.com/ev/papers.html
    • NASA's EVM site -- http://www1.msfc.nasa.gov/EVM/
    • What is a Gantt chart? -- Short, easy-to-understand definition here, here
    • Project Management Software, Gantt and PERT charts -- Some good links to software here
    • Example Summary Work Breakdown Structure -- http://neon.airtime.co.uk/users/wysywig/swbs_1.htm
    • NASA on Work Breakdown Structures and more -- Lots of info on Parametric Cost Estimating, http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/bu2/PCEHHTML/pceh.htm
    • Noel N. Haroff of NNH on WBS -- http://nnh.com/ev/wbs2.html
    • Earned Value Bibliography: Comprehensive Bibliography of Earned Value Literature, by Christensen, David S., Southern Utah University, March 2000, here.
    • Department of Defense Handbook, Work Breakdown Structures, here.
    • Work Breakdown Structure article for beginners, here.
    • NASA on Preparing a Program Work Breakdown Structure, here.
    • Some sample Work Breakdown Structures of varying detail and completeness: here, here, here, here, here, here.  There are a great many more of these available on the web, both textual and graphical.  Try searching at Google for "Work Breakdown Structure" (with the quotes):