System Engineering Leadership CPD 2023, Thursday 23 - Friday 24 February 2023

Schedule – Morning of Thursday 23 February 2023

Basics of Systems Engineering – Methods in Delivery

In this part of the course you will learn to grasp fundamental ideas of systems thinking and systems engineering, Appreciate how systems thinking and appreciate the role of technical leadership in systems engineering. This day will operationalise systems engineering are important in the delivery of built infrastructure, with reference to international practical case studies and the ICE report.

Time

Topic

Synopsis and Learning Outcomes

Activity

08:30 – 09:00

Session open

The session will be open from 8.30am, and we will start promptly at 9.00am, but there is an opportunity to become acquainted with each other and the session presenters and coaches before the start.

All / group activity

09:00 – 09:15

Start & Welcome

General introductions, overview of the day and housekeeping.  Introductory overview of the day. Short ice-breaker activity.

All / group activity

09:15 – 10:15

Overview What is Systems Engineering? 

Outline of the fundamental ideas of systems engineering, how systems thinking and systems engineering are important in the delivery of built infrastructure, and the role of technical leadership.

This session will provide you with an introduction to fundamental ideas:

  • Systems and systems thinking
  • Emergent properties of systems
  • Structural versus behavioural views of a system; systems state and system dynamics; representations of a system
  • Limits of complexity

It uses industrial case examples from transport, water and buildings to explore how systems engineering leaders can apply these fundamental ideas in practical examples. It also discusses infrastructure interdependencies and the broader context of the project as an intervention into infrastructure systems.

Presentation:

Professor Jennifer Whyte

 

10:15 – 10:30

Short break

15 mins break

 

10:30 – 11:30

Systems Engineering in Practice

This session introduces the experience of what works and what doesn’t work gained through research on the use of systems design and optimisation methods in the infrastructure sector. In particular, the session will present a systematic framework to design infrastructures with explicit considerations of uncertainty and risks, with the aim of making infrastructures more sustainable and resilient in the long term. Specific tools covering baseline design, uncertainty modelling, concept generation, economic modelling and optimisation will be introduced with concrete industry examples. At the end of the session, attendees will be able to

  • Apply the framework to a system of interest
  • Learn about available design tools they can use to support their own analysis.

Presentation:

Dr Michel Alexandre Cardin

 

11:30 – 12:00

Wrap up of the day

Discussion and general reflections on the morning. What will you do differently?

All / group activity

Schedule – Morning of Friday 24 February 2023

Systems Interdependencies

This day will consider how multiple infrastructure systems interact, with each other and sit within a natural environment. How do we think holistically to ensure projects are ‘shovel worthy rather than shovel ready’?   

Time

Topic

Synopsis and Learning Outcomes

Activity

08:30 – 09:00

Session open

The session will be open from 8.30am, and we will start promptly at 9.00am, but there is an opportunity to become acquainted with each other and the session presenters and coaches before the start.

All / group activity

09:00 – 10:00

Systems Thinking and Leadership

This session discusses systems approaches to infrastructure interdependencies, draws on systems thinking to present ways in which to explore, articulate and structure problem situations, providing the foundations on which to move forward to develop solutions. 

This session will consider how situations with a high degree of complex interaction between the elements of the system and multiple conflicting viewpoints.  They are characterised by an evolving set of interacting issues, requirements and constraints that can render them adaptive, intractable, irreducible and difficult to define. 

Presentation:

Dr Ana Mijic and Dr Neil Carhart

 

10:00 – 10:15

Short break

15 mins break

 

10:15 – 11.30

Panel discussion and breakouts on industry applications

A panel of high-level contributors to discuss the challenges of systems approaches to infrastructure from policy and practice perspectives. Panel discussion, breakouts and facilitated workshop style activities in smaller groups to apply the learning of the course to real world contexts, and questions

Industry Panel, short presentation

 

11:30 – 12:00

Wrap up of the day

Discussion and general reflections on the overall course. What will you do differently?

All / group activity

Pre-course materials - introductory video on the content of the course; Access to Flipgrid to upload a video introduction of yourself; reading materials.

Post-course follow-up - Follow-up with actions sent back to participants 2 months later, Links to further reading.

Organized by UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC) through Imperial College London’s Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation, Bristol University’s Systems Centre, with input from University of Sydney.

Module leaders: Dr Ana Mijic, Senior Lecturer in Water Systems Integration and a Director of the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation, Imperial College London, Prof Jennifer Whyte,  Head of School of Project Management/Director of the John Grill Institute for Project Leadership in the Faculty of Engineering at University of Sydney, Dr Neil Carhart, University of Bristol, Dr Michel-Alexandre Cardin Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer in the UK) in Computational Aided Engineering at the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, and Director of the Strategic Engineering Laboratory.