On The Importance of Being Able to Hold a Stake

Abstract

The consideration of stakeholders as an input to a Systems Engineering approach is well-known and well-documented. What is not considered or discussed as much are the times a Systems Engineer developing a solution must become a stakeholder, defining and distributing needs derived from the system solution to its sub-element systems and other realization systems. This paper describes the importance of a Systems Engineer being able to act as a stakeholder, and how important the partnership and cooperation between a system developer (Systems Engineer) and the stakeholders is. Both interacting with and being a stakeholder are important skills for a Systems Engineer to have – this paper gives an introduction to both why and how to do this.