I remember reading that Kelly Johnson, of Skunkworks fame, created Systems Engineering as a bull-shit smoke screen to keep executives, bureaucrats, and bean counters off the backs of the actual engineers so they could do their work as usual. System engineering was created to make it look like everything was top down and preconceived, all t’s crossed and all i’s dotted, meanwhile the engineering’s proceeded as usual, and the Systems Engineering and Trade study results were penciled in afterwards.

I then remember the source going on to say it was a great tragedy to see this bull shit discipline of systems engineering being adopted by the aerospace industry in earnest. Instead of keeping bureaucrats out it added a layer of bureaucrats, instead of shielding engineering from executives it empowered them to turn an unrealistic wish list into hard requirements.

I thought I read that in Ben Riche’s book “Skunk Works.” But I’ve searched the e-book and can’t find it. I tried google but they are hiding the truth. Have you heard this story anywhere? I’ve been searching for the source and can’t find it anywhere.