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Nature of an Engineered System: Illustrated from Engineering Artefacts and Complex Systems

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Handbook of Systems Sciences

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Abstract

An engineered system is a system deliberately designed or adapted to interact with the operational environment to achieve an intended purpose while complying with applicable constraints. This chapter describes the nature of engineered systems illustrated with examples ranging from engineered artifacts to complex systems of systems. It makes clear the distinction between physical and conceptual systems and the importance of both in the Systems Engineering required to conceive, realize, deploy, operate, and retire effective engineered systems. It pays particular attention to the issues involved in integration of “hard” and “soft” aspects of engineered systems to create effective and beneficial socio-technical systems, with the goal of providing maximum value while avoiding or minimizing harm and other unintended negative consequences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Researcher/Consultant, Edinburgh, Scotland

    Hillary Sillitto

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  1. Hillary Sillitto
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Correspondence to Hillary Sillitto .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Leadership and Management, Saybrook University, Ashland, KY, USA

    Gary S. Metcalf

  2. Grad Sch of Decision Sci & Tech, Tokyo Institute of Technology Grad Sch of Decision Sci & Tech, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Kyoichi Kijima

  3. CABSSS, Tokyo Institute of Technology CABSSS, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

    Hiroshi Deguchi

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    James Martin

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Sillitto, H. (2021). Nature of an Engineered System: Illustrated from Engineering Artefacts and Complex Systems. In: Metcalf, G.S., Kijima, K., Deguchi, H. (eds) Handbook of Systems Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0370-8_17-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0370-8_17-2

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-0370-8

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Nature of an Engineered System: Illustrated from Engineering Artefacts and Complex Systems
    Published:
    11 November 2021

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0370-8_17-2

  2. Original

    Nature of an Engineered Systems: Illustrated from Engineering Artefacts and Complex Systems
    Published:
    02 September 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0370-8_17-1

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