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Chapter 10 Exercises 287

systems. Although these are mostly technical systems, there are sociotechnical issues to be
considered. Dependability is obviously critically important. (In NASA Systems Engineering
Handbook, NASA-SP2007-6105, 2007.) http://education.ksc.nasa.gov/esmdspacegrant/
Documents/NASA%20SP-2007-6105%20Rev%201%20Final%2031Dec2007.pdf.

EXERCISES

10.1. Give two examples of government functions that are supported by complex sociotechnical
systems and explain why, in the foreseeable future, these functions cannot be completely
automated.
10.2. Explain why the environment in which a computer-based system is installed may have
unanticipated effects on the system that lead to system failure. Illustrate your answer with
a different example from that used in this chapter.

10.3. Why is it impossible to infer the emergent properties of a complex system from the
properties of the system components?
10.4. Why is it sometimes difficult to decide whether or not there has been a failure in a
sociotechnical system? Illustrate your answer by using examples from the MHC-PMS that
has been discussed in earlier chapters.

10.5. What is a ‘wicked problem’? Explain why the development of a national medical records
system should be considered a ‘wicked problem’.
10.6. A multimedia virtual museum system offering virtual experiences of ancient Greece is to be
developed for a consortium of European museums. The system should provide users with
the facility to view 3-D models of ancient Greece through a standard web browser and
should also support an immersive virtual reality experience. What political and
organizational difficulties might arise when the system is installed in the museums that
make up the consortium?
10.7. Why is system integration a particularly critical part of the systems development process?
Suggest three sociotechnical issues that may cause difficulties in the system integration
process.
10.8. Explain why legacy systems may be critical to the operation of a business.

10.9. What are the arguments for and against considering system engineering as a profession in
its own right, like electrical engineering or software engineering?
10.10. You are an engineer involved in the development of a financial system. During installation,
you discover that this system will make a significant number of people redundant. The
people in the environment deny you access to essential information to complete the system
installation. To what extent should you, as a systems engineer, become involved in this
situation? Is it your professional responsibility to complete the installation as contracted?
Should you simply abandon the work until the procuring organization has sorted out the
problem?