Bursting the Bubble of Complexity: Reflections on the activities of the INCOSE Complex Systems Working Group (CSWG)

We have entered an era of rapid change and increasing uncertainty. The biggest mistake we can make as systems engineers is ignoring this change. The term “uncertainty” is deeply connected to complexity for many communities, including INCOSE's Complex Systems Working Group (CSWG). As uncertainty or complexity increases, our experience, and indeed logic, suggests that the practices and techniques developed for a world of sufficient certainty are no longer enough, no matter how gifted the engineer. At this point, it is essential to change our mindset from “I know enough” to “I know I am wrong about something”. This mindset shift triggers a desire and need for continuous learning, new practices and techniques which embrace different viewpoints, learning through failure, and results in flexible and adaptable systems. The work of the CSWG, described in the article, is to identify and create suitable practices for the practitioner systems engineer in this new, uncertain, and complex age. We are aiming to “burst the bubble of complexity” and enable engineers to deal effectively with uncertainty and complexity. But the pace of change is fast, the complexity landscape is vast, and the tradecraft still emerging. Hence, the only way to address this complexity challenge sufficiently is to recruit communities of experts with diverse views who can work collaboratively towards these common aims.