This observation from 1987 is as true today as then.
Decades later, and with ever increasing complexity, we are faced with the same results. Although the projects examined
by these authors were not exclusively system-of-systems projects, it seems appropriate to ask, why can’t we get system-of-systems management right?
This research suggests that applying systems engineering principles to the management of system-of-systems projects may result in more disciplined, and successful outcomes.
While project management theory has not advanced beyond that defined and developed in the mid-20 century,
systems thinking and its application to management have received great attention. Even as project management practice
struggles with managing complex systems development, scholarly work in systems emphasizes the importance of defining management as a systems activity [5].
Systems thinking, and by extension systems engineering can serve as a vehicle to help bridge gap in project management theory.