I recently became a member of the Transformational Systems Engineering Working Group on Complex Systems of INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering). Delving into this has been a fascinating experience, and definitely beyond my usual area.   The first question that the group is grappling with is "what makes a system complex, rather than complicated" While there does not seem to be a single firm answer,  the key difference seems to revolve around the interdependence and interaction of the component systems.  Are the interactions predictable?  Is the state of the components known? As we delve more into this, I will be posting additional.

Scott Berkun wonders about the acronyms, frameworks and new systems of management spawned by the software industry.

Some say it’s immaturity: that software is still a young industry and all the change is the path to some true fundamentals. Others say it’s because software people like making things up and can’t help themselves.

He then proposes a list of "honest, however cynical" models that describe what's really going on.  One of my favorites more