SYSE.11:1 - Problem Frame

Engineering Work often produces local completion before it produces a usable whole. A manufactured part can match its drawing while failing an installed interface. Software can satisfy component-test conditions while, for example, its controller interface, sensor relation, physical plant, operator procedure, or evidence basis remains incompatible. A prototype can demonstrate one effect without supporting the configuration and operating envelope needed by the next decision.

No one lifecycle or cadence governs all of these dependencies. Work on, for example, physical parts, software, evidence, platforms, suppliers, configuration, and operation can overlap at different cadences. Engineers select one bounded integration boundary, connect the contributing Work and transformations to it, observe use, and return a result that can support the next decision within that use boundary.