The first order of business in the SE journey is to define what success will look like for the System of Interest (SoI) being engineered

There are a few things to be checked/done before beginning to do SE. A running race metaphor is used to indicate what needs to be done.

The term ‘lifecycle model’ denotes the activities and the sequence in which they are performed, as the SoI journeys through its entire life.

Any system that is engineered, cannot live forever! Breaking its life into stages will help address the needs of the system in a better way.