Hard systems viewpoints are basically those held by designers and engineers who are trying to create systems to meet an understood need in an effecti… - Derek Hitchins

Architecture is defined as the art and science of creating buildings. Systems engineering may be similarly defined as the art and science of creating systems.

The motives for conceiving modern systems engineering are to be found, at least in part, in past disasters. Arthur D. Hall III cites: the chemical plant leakage in Bhopal (1986); the explosion of the NASA Challenger space shuttle (1986) and the Apollo fire (1967); the sinking of the Titanic (1912); the nuclear explosion in Chernobyl (1986) and the disaster at Three Mile Island power plant (1979). He cites, too, the capture of markets by Japan from the U.S., the decline in US productivity and the failure of the US secondary school system. He identifies the millions of people dying of starvation every year while other nations stockpile surplus food, medical disasters such as heart disease, while governments subsidize grains used to produce high cholesterol meat, milk and eggs; and many more. One implication is clear: systems engineering faces challenges well beyond the sphere of engineering.

System engineering is the art and science of creating effective systems, using whole system, whole life principles.