In an age of shrinking development cycles, it is harder than ever to bring the right product to the market at the right time. Good product - especially complex products - are underpinned by good systems, and systems engineering itself is recognized as the key tool of product development. This book covers the principles of systems engineering in an easy-to-read format. The authors have decades of practical industrial experience, and the material is ideal for industrial project teams. For academic courses, the book acts as a component for graduate and undergraduate engineering studies, particularly those on systems engineering. It covers how to handle requirements, architectural design, integration and verification, starting from the perspective of a simple linear lifecycle. The book then gradually introduces recent work on the complexity of real-world systems, with issues such as multi-level systems development, software within systems, and iterative development. There is also coverage of the impact of systems engineering at the organizational level.