Trends in computer-based systems engineering

It is argued that problems in the development of large computer-based systems indicate that a new discipline is needed at the systems engineering level. Designing systems with distributed processing and databases requires analysis of critical end-to-end processing flows to determine feasibility and proper allocation. An expanded skills base would be required to perform either systems, software, or hardware engineers to perform the necessary tradeoff studies. This paper informs managers, engineers, educators, and researchers about the need for computer-based systems engineering and the strategic opportunities this discipline provides for systems engineering improvement