Have you ever wondered why some systems engineers are successful and others aren't? In order to answer that question, NASA recently conducted a study of the behavioral competencies of highly regarded systems engineers working on different types of programs and projects in diverse environments across the agency. As projects become increasingly complex, NASA understands that it is vital to grow and develop a cadre of highly trained and skilled systems engineers who will be available to ensure the continued success of future missions. It is not enough to focus only on the science of engineering space systems, since that is only half the story. The other half of the story is the art of systems engineering. But what does that entail?In April 2008, the NASA Office of the Chief Engineer launched the Systems Engineering Behaviors Study with the goal of studying how highly regarded systems engineers at each of the ten NASA Centers practice the art of systems engineering. The study was conducted by personnel from each of the NASA Centers and the NASA Academy of Program, Project and Engineering Leadership (APPEL) who were trained in psychology, organizational behavior, engineering, human resources, training and development. Several study team members were certified to administer and interpret the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®).The study involved interviewing, shadowing, and observing 38 highly regarded systems engineers and administering the MBTI to them to identify their personality type. Once the data was compiled, it was then analyzed for common themes and grouped into clusters of competencies with associated behaviors.Once the initial analysis was complete, it was reviewed, and concurrence on the overall competencies was sought with the interviewees, once at the center level, and again at the agency level. The behavioral attributes in the findings fall into five broad themes: leadership, communication, problem solving and systems thinking, attitudes and attributes, and technical acumen. This paper 1,2 summarizes the method, findings, and conclusions of the study of behavioral competencies of highly regarded systems engineers at NASA. It details the competencies and associated behaviors for each of the themes in depth, and summarizes the typical MBTI® profiles of the systems engineers studied. It also discusses some potential uses of these results to provide a more balanced picture of systems engineering and to train, coach, mentor and develop NASA's current and future systems engineers.

Given the ever increasing number, scope and complexity of systems today, it is vital to have a cadre of highly trained and skilled systems engineers to ensure that those systems are developed and operated successfully. But from where will those systems engineers come? The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has come to the conclusion that if you want them, sometimes you have to grow your own.The JPL Systems Engineering Advancement (SEA) project was launched in FY2004 to advance the practice of systems engineering at JPL, and to address the three key aspects of change: people, process and technology. A significant major portion of the People component of the SEA Project is devoted to a systems engineering on-the-job training (OJT) program. The SEA OJT program will train 50 systems engineers over a five year period according to a threepronged systems engineering competency model. This competency model includes technical domain knowledge, understanding of systems engineering standards, processes and practices, and highly valued behavioral attributes. The behavioral attributes fall into four broad categories: leadership, communication, problem solving and systems thinking, and attitudes and attributes.The SEA Project wrestled with determining the best way to train potential systems engineers along each axis of the competency model, especially how best to inculcate the behavioral attributes. Ultimately, they determined a range of activities that would accomplish their objectives. This mix includes classroom training, hands-on project experience, mentoring and coaching, shadowing, 360 degree feedback, and attending conferences and workshops. This paper 1, 2 provides an overview of the JPL SEA OJT Program including the candidate selection criteria, selection process, training approach and activities, and lessons learned.

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