Scarecrow Consultants were thrilled to host the first ever Adventures in Systems Engineering Industry Summer School 1st-5th September at the Birmingham and Midland Institute in Birmingham. The week was a roaring success, with evil sorcerers vanquished, friendships made, and a lot of laughs together along the way.

We were joined by Adventurers from all over the UK and US from a variety of different backgrounds and industries, from new university students to established industry trainers. Over the course of the week we completed the Adventures in Systems Engineering training course, that takes attendees through the full engineering life cycle and the Systems Engineering activities at each phase. The material covers everything from stakeholder engagement, through definition of context, requirements, interfaces, onto design work, and eventually testing, verification and validation.

Teams have to work together to create a rescue system to save elves from a cursed village surrounded by a treacherous enchanted river. The designs from teams this year were: a huge crane to lift the elves out and swing them back over the river, and a giant inflatable bridge stretching across the river for the elves to bring themselves to safety.

As well as the training, we also had a ‘Systems Thinking Scavenger Hunt’ around central Birmingham that kept the trainers on their toes as teams answered clues and completed challenges a lot faster than we anticipated..! This was to practice applying big picture thinking, from all the different stakeholders of different systems, rainy and sunny day scenarios, and assessing the full life of systems and how its functions might change over time. There was also a session after the training about ‘Where next’ and how adventurers can continue their Systems Engineering learning through a variety of resources, IfSE and INCOSE, and further training.

The Summer School was the first time Scarecrow has put together a fully residential format for one of its courses, and so there were also evening activities and meals together throughout the week. Our activities started with a movie night in the BMI’s theatre watching A Knight’s Tale, made even more special by BMI Dan putting out proper cinema popcorn boxes out for us. This was followed the next night by a lively session of axe throwing (some adventurers are clearly lying about having never attempted it before…) and on the final night, a celebratory ‘castle’ feast at Albert’s Schloss. We all squished into their photo booth to remember the week and our experience together – evidence shared below!

We had such a wonderful time running the Summer School but don’t just take our word for it, here is what our attendees had to say:

‘On arrival we were met by the Scarecrow team, and immediately felt at ease. The course was not rushed, and there were plenty of opportunities to share experiences. The course was really interactive and fun. It was great to have different Scarecrows in each day. We were well looked after all week.’

‘I had a lot of fun getting to know people experienced in the industry and learning the basics, how they are implemented, and understanding where and why to implement them. The social aspect was incredible, with really fun evenings out that included well-chosen events and a great environment to network in.’

‘An excellent, insightful and enjoyable demonstration of the value of Systems Engineering and how it applies to the entire lifecycle.’

‘Had a fantastic time delving into the Systems Engineering world with the great team at Scarecrow’

Thank you so much to all who attended and supported the Summer School. We cannot wait until next year!

The book is available in both hard-copy and ebook formats.

Copies can be ordered here.

If you would like to build your own version from actual Lego, you can find instructions in the Trinity section of our Knowledge Base.

We will be giving a tutorial on The Trinity Approach at this year’s INCOSE UK Annual Systems Engineering Conference.

• Don’t Panic! – The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Model-Based Systems Engineering
• Don’t Panic! – The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Architecture Frameworks
• Advanced Applications in Systems Engineering – Implementing MBSE into Your Business – The Trinity Approach

To buy an electronic copy, please visit the INCOSE UK online store.

More details can be found here.