Who was Eberhardt Rechtin?

[Moderator]

Eberhardt Rechtin (1926-2006)
A USC Viterbi School (of Engineering) professor emeritus who had
academic appointments in three departments and who also received an
honorary degree from USC, was a giant in the Aerospace industry and a
creative force in the academic realm. Through his leadership the USC
Viterbi School established an innovative graduate program in Systems
Architecting and Engineering that has emerged as a national model for
collaborative engineering education and distance learning.
Professor Rechtin played a key role in the development of U.S. space
technology and had a storied career in government and industry even
before joining USC. He headed a 1960s JPL group that included several
future Viterbi School faculty. Prof. Rechtin and several other team
members were elected to the National Academy of Engineering. In 1987
he joined the USC faculty and created the Systems Architecting and
Engineering Program. The program provides graduate engineers and
engineering managers with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary
for the conception and implementation of complex systems. The program
emphasizes the processes by which complex systems are conceived,
planned, designed, built, tested and certified. Systems engineering is
changing the very nature of industrial and systems engineering, and
Prof. Rechtin’s initiative placed the Epstein (Industrial & Systems
Engineering) Department at the field’s leading edge. In addition to
writing much of the literature defining systems architecting,
Eberhardt Rechtin was a superb teacher who never failed to inspire
students and colleagues. Today, the SAE Program is one of the Epstein
ISE Department’s largest degree programs.

[Moderator]

(OPINION) I believe that understanding this work helps people to
understand the difference between Systems engineering and Industrial
engineering. Although closely linked, there are major differences.
The study of Lean is NOT industrial engineering. It is systems
engineering. Although much of what is believed to be Lean certainly
falls within the realm of the industrial engineer, there is an entire
body of study outside traditional industrial engineering which is only
appropriate within the study of Systems engineering. Hence, I
believe, the statement of Jim Womack in 2008 that Lean does not equal
industrial engineering.