Thinking Through the Structure of System Design

Develop robust system architectures with this essential course, the fifth step in the Cornell Systems Engineering Program's proven Eight Steps for Getting Design Right. This course dives deep into understanding how systems work and effectively describing system functionality. You'll gain crucial insights into modern system design considerations applicable to projects of all sizes.

Learn the process of system architecture development, focusing on creating clear descriptions of systems composed of interacting subsystems. A key challenge is bridging the communication gap between diverse engineering disciplines – hardware (mechanical, electrical) and software (computer science). This course provides a general language for describing system architecture that fosters understanding across the entire design team.

This course uniquely emphasizes the vital role of system architecture, often overlooked in traditional Design for Six Sigma methodologies. It introduces a behavioral basis for architecture, a perspective frequently missed in systems engineering. Discover how operational descriptions form the foundation for most design deliverables.

Embrace a behavior-centered approach that integrates disparate viewpoints, ultimately benefiting the end-user by ensuring comprehensive consideration of every aspect of product or service use.

Develop strong systems thinking skills by leveraging the affinity process to abstract system behavior from detailed operational descriptions. Whether you're a manager or a designer, you'll learn to analyze system coordination and control, and effectively allocate functionality and performance to individual subsystems. This course equips you with the tools to build well-defined, effective, and user-centric systems.