Learn what it takes to develop Complex Products

Systems Engineering is a multi-disciplinary approach that allows a development team to organize, define and manage their product development projects.

The Product Development and Systems Engineering course will provide you and your team the foundation you will need to begin developing successful systems.

The course is composed of over 100 videos (over 25 hours of content) that cover all of the key topics you will need to know in order to develop successful systems. These topics include: laying the groundwork; technical processes; the different management disciplines; enabling processes; and some of the more common subject matter areas used in system development projects.

These lessons are provided using in plain every-day English that don't require advanced degrees in engineering to decipher, yet these lessons are also not overly simplistic. The lessons in this course strike a balance, providing just enough breadth and depth in each topic to enable you to successfully support your product development projects.


Over 800 practice problems that will ensure you understand the material and are ready to practice what you learn.



Aligns with Industry Standards

This course aligns with the most widely-used industry standards for Product Development & Systems Engineering.
These include ISO/IEEE/IEC 15288:2023 and the International Council On Systems Engineering (INCOSE).

The LearnSE Product Development and Systems Engineering course will teach you the following skills:

  • How to apply "systems thinking" by approaching problem solving holistically, from the top-down.
  • What a product hierarchy is and how to use them.
  • How to define system boundaries and primary interfaces in a context diagram.
  • How to identify, involve and elicit requirements from system users and key stakeholders.
  • How to compartmentalize your need / problem set into manageable domains, ultimately arriving at solutions from the "top-down".
  • Who a Systems Engineer is and what their roles and responsibilities are.
  • How Systems Engineering will add value to your product development effort.
  • How to apply the Systems Engineering Method toward solving your identified need / problem set.
  • How to manage across your product's life cycle, in-depth, phase by phase.
  • What milestones and decision gates are and how to apply them on your development project.
  • How to decide which life cycle strategy is best for your development project.
  • How to apply the various technical processes throughout your product's life cycle.
  • How to formulate the operational concept and other life cycle concepts for your system.
  • How to elicit and capture business and stakeholder requirements.
  • How to capture a formal problem or need statement, which kicks off your development project.
  • How to define, derive and decompose system requirements.
  • How to write effective requirements.
  • How to capture your requirements in a System Requirements Specification (SyRS).
  • How to identify the different types of requirements and their role in the development effort.
  • What architectures are and how to define and capture the architecture for your system.
  • What Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is and how to apply it.
  • What the System Modeling Language (SysML) and Unified Modeling Languages (UML) are.
  • How to create each type of SysML and UML diagram.
  • How to develop formal use cases.
  • How to decompose system functions or behaviors into smaller, more manageable sets.
  • How to construct the functional flows and relationships throughout your system architecture.
  • How to formulate the physical solution for your product.
  • How business relationships and contracting play a role in product development.
  • What Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) are and how they are used.
  • How to apply system implementation, integration and verification.
  • How verification and validation help foster a successful product.
  • How to apply systems engineering toward system manufacturing & production.
  • How to transition your product into the marketplace.
  • How to sustain and upgrade your products once they are fielded and being used.
  • How to plan and execute the ultimate disposal of your system.
  • How to apply project management principles toward your product development efforts. These Include:
  • Project initiation
  • Project planning
  • Project execution and
  • Project closure
  • What the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) is and how to make it effective for your project.
  • What a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is and how to use it on your project.
  • What the Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) is and how it is different than the WBS.
  • How to apply formal decision management and trade study processes.
  • How to manage risks for your development effort.
  • How to manage the configuration of your system and its enabling elements.
  • How to apply quality assurance toward developing your product.
  • How to apply information management for your development effort.
  • How to apply measures, such as:
  • Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs)
  • Measures of Performance (MOPs)
  • Key Performance Parameters (KPPs)
  • Technical Performance Measures (TPMs)
  • How to form business relationships and contracts using the acquisition process and supply process.
  • How to apply life cycle management.
  • How to manage the portfolio of projects.
  • How human resource management plays a role in product development.
  • How to apply quality management throughout the organization.
  • How to tailor the processes to suit the needs of your projects or organizational goals.
  • How to use modeling & simulation and prototyping to save time and money on your development effort.
  • How to use the Object Oriented Systems Engineering Method (OOSEM) toward the development of system software.
  • How to apply Lean Systems Engineering principles.
  • The fundamentals of Agile Systems Engineering.
  • The fundamentals of specialty engineering disciplines:
  • Affordability
  • Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
  • Environmental engineering
  • System reliability
  • System Safety
  • Human-System Integration (HSI)
  • System security
  • Product support and the supply chain
  • Value engineering
  • Resilience engineering
  • How to prepare for the INCOSE certification knowledge exam.


Course Outline



Preview the course for 24 hours for free. If you like what you've seen, select your preferred payment schedule in from the options below.



  Introductory / Groundwork Topics
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  The System Life Cycle
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  Technical Processes
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  Technical Management Processes
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  The Agreement Processes
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  The Project-Enabling Processes
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  Tailoring Processes
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  Specialty Engineering Processes
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  Course Closeout & INCOSE Information
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Meet your instructor


Christopher Olson, MSSE, CSEP, PMP

Your instructor for this course has over 20 years of experience in the US Defense industry, primarily in aircraft and helicopter development, testing, support and operations.

Mr. Olson has A BS From Embry Riddle Aeronautical and MS in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering. He also has Level III DAWIA Certifications for Systems Engineering and Program Management from the Defense Acquisition University, INCOSE CSEP, PMI PMP and OMG OCSMP Certifications.

Mr Olson is a course developer, manager and adjunct professor for graduate level Systems Engineering related courses.

Pricing plans

For Udemy Students

Apply UDEMY17OFF at checkout to receive an additional discount when you register here at LearnSE.