ABSTRACT
The main thing to remember about systems engineering is its emphasis on optimisation, and therefore on a consideration of the entire life cycle of the product, from conceptual study, through specification, design, manufacture and installation. To be optimised, the system must perform as per specification, be built on schedule and not overrun any stage of the allocated budget. Financial optimisation is a necessity in systems and reliability work. Financial optimisation often goes under another name, namely, capital budgeting. Of the specific tools in the systems engineer’s toolbox, system modelling is one of the most important, as it attempts to optimise a system in a computer, before any mistakes can be made in the hardware stage. There are various ways systems can be modelled: simulation, linear programming, dynamic programming, decision theory, and game theory. The chapter discusses the simulation and linear programming in detail.
