Assessing the Capacity for Engineering Systems Thinking (CEST) and Other Competencies of Systems Engineers

Abstract

This chapter introduces a tool for assessing engineers' interest in what is required from successful systems engineers, or in other words, assessing the extent of engineers' systems thinking. What is required from successful systems engineers (the characteristics of successful systems engineers) is commonly called 'competencies of successful systems engineers' and much activity to develop systems engineering competency models has been done in recent years. A summary of several systems engineering competency models is presented in the chapter. The competency model that has been used as the underpinning basis for the developing of the assessment tool presented in this chapter is the CEST (Capacity for Engineering Systems Thinking) model. The main reason for choosing this model is presented in the chapter and then the model itself and several principles for assessing engineers' systems thinking are presented. Finally, the assessment tool is presented as well as the main methods that have been used for validating the tool.