[SystemSafety] Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea

[Les Chambers]

Hi

Here's an idea. Impart the value of system safety programs through true
stories. Gary Kinder does a great job of illustrating what systems
engineering, done right, can achieve in his book, Ship Of Gold In The Deep
Blue Sea. A review was posted at my read forum at
http://www.chambers.com.au/forum/post_summary.php?frm=2 (see:
http://www.chambers.com.au/forum/view_post.php?frm=2&pstid=207)

----The Skinny-----

Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea is a true story about a shipwreck and a
treasure hunt, but lying between the lines is the soul and essence of
systems engineering. This book, by Gary Kinder, is required reading for
anyone with a desire to bring together existing technologies to create a
complex machine that does something hither-to thought impossible.

THE PLOT

In 1857, The SS Central America, a paddle wheel steamer en-route to New York
from Panama, sank in the midst of a hurricane off the North Carolina coast
with the loss of 428 lives. It was packed to the gunnels with 35,000 pounds
of California gold; at today's prices a street value of at least 800 million
dollars.

In 1985 Tommy Thompson, a mechanical engineering graduate from Ohio State
University, set out to find the wreck and recover the gold. 

 ...

A COMPELLING TEACHING AID FOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Systems engineering textbooks are seldom compelling reads. Management
directives to study SE process and follow procedure are often met with yawns
and complaints of big M methodology. There is an alternative approach: hook
your team on the usefulness of systems engineering process through Tommy
Thompson's fantastic treasure hunt - a textbook perfect case study of how to
do systems engineering right, using the rich vocabulary of a real life
story. Redolent with the aura of "arragh GOLD" they will read every word and
find its fundamental principles hard to resist.

----------------------

If anyone knows of true stories that illustrate successful safety
engineering please let me know.

 

Cheers

Les

 

 

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Les Chambers
Director
Chambers & Associates Pty Ltd
 <http://www.chambers.com.au> www.chambers.com.au

Blog:  <http://www.systemsengineeringblog.com/>
www.systemsengineeringblog.com

Twitter:  <http://www.twitter.com/chambersles> @ChambersLes
M: 0412 648 992
Intl M: +61 412 648 992
Ph: +61 7 3870 4199
Fax: +61 7 3870 4220
 <mailto:les at chambers.com.au> les at chambers.com.au
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