Vision
The next three years will be focused on “communicating, empowering, and integrating” based on the first phase, “defining the future of INCOSE,” in which we began the transformation from a 100% volunteer organization to a professional organization. This transformation, which I have been able to accompany and shape since June 2021, is important and right. The day-to-day and operational relief of volunteers by employees with their expertise in marketing, membership management, IT infrastructure, etc., directs the Board's focus to the crucial aspects of INCOSE – shaping the future of systems engineering and the organization!
With the new position description for the Sector Director, responsibilities and interfaces are also changing.
- Further integration of INCOSE employees into the EMEA Sector and EMEA Chapter
- Design of the Chapter Advisory Committee and its integration into the organization
- Integration of the new committees with dual leadership from volunteers and employees, as well as ensuring improvement from the EMEA Chapter's perspective
- Improving communication with members from industry, academia, consulting, and government, and ensuring a feedback loop into the global organization
- Integrating the EMEA perspective and needs into the strategic and tactical issues on the board
The role of the Sector Director thus focuses on operational improvement with a focus on members and chapters with a medium- and long-term strategic orientation. With this goal and under the vision of INCOSE as well as the 4 strategic goals
- Advance SE as the world’s trusted authority
- Expand the SE community while growing INCOSE
- Foster professional development and SE competencies
- Achieve operational excellence
My focus for the next 3 years will be:
- Sharing and contributing my experience from building up the German Chapter as president and direct membership in the OMG and ISO standardization work as a Trusted Authority
- Establishment of regional and cross-border chapters, such as MENA, Baltic, and Central East Europe with distribution of activities among several members from the beginning to ensure continuity and steady growth. These members can take the culture and global added value from the beginning and the transition to local chapters is a small step. In the event of individual growth, local chapters can then be spun off, but do not work in the greenfield, more on the basis of what they have learned together and the networked spirit of INCOSE.
- Support of chapters with the INCOSE employees in order to develop continuously and sustainably. This continues through the monthly chapter meeting and extended EMEA workshops on current topics to ensure a continuous bidirectional flow of information.
- Jointly develop initiatives, products, deploy local working groups to international, and key EMEA topics based on chapters and member needs.
- Further integration of decision-makers from EMEA to strengthen the INCOSE organization and SE's visibility in the world. We have to approach Executives to ensure that we grow and are recognized
- Furthermore, the active shaping of the Chapter Advisory Committee as a representative of all INCOSE Sectors in the team of the INCOSE Board Evolution Task Force
In short words – Be the focal point and the bridge from EMEA members and chapter into INCOSE international to create a common One INCOSE world to achieve the INCOSE Vision “A better world through a systems approach”.
I hope that together we can continue to shape this exciting journey about the future of systems engineering at INCOSE!
Biography
Sven-Olaf Schulze (CSEP & Certified Systems Engineer (GfSE) ® Level A) is Managing Director of LEIxCON, an engineering consulting company with a focus on Systems Engineering and Integrated Product Support (IPS/ILS/RAMS) to improve the development processes and approaches with customers across industries.
Sven-Olaf Schulze received his diploma from the Technical University of Braunschweig in aerospace engineering with a focus on aircraft and lightweight construction. He started his career in the aerospace industry on projects and with responsibility for Ariane 4 & 5 Launcher, International Space Station (ISS) projects, MIR, Airbus A380 and A400M, Fuel Cell development with MBSE. As Vice President, he built up the Systems Engineering division in the wind power industry at Suzlon Energy GmbH. After moving to UNITY Innovation AG, he worked as a principal primarily in the areas of systems engineering, program, project and agile management, especially in the areas of strategy, digitization, product development and innovation as a consultant.
From 2007 to 2012 he was a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg for the subject of Systems Engineering. For 5 years he was appointed to the committee of the UEEIV (Union of European Railway Engineer Associations) in the field of certification "Railway Systems Engineers". He is the author of systems engineering articles, papers and co-author of books on product development and systems engineering.
In 2003, he was elected Vice President of the Gesellschaft für Systems Engineering e. V. (GfSE), the German Chapter of INCOSE. In 2008, he took over the chairmanship as president until 2019. From 2006 to 2009, he was the EMEA Representative for INCOSE Region III and is the current EMEA Sector Director since June 2021 on the INCOSE Board of Directors. He contributed in local and international working groups as well as the INCOSE handbook translation into German.