Date: 15 April 2014	Issue: 17
In This Issue

New Screencast Series Available: Building a Simple Model in CORE

A new screencast series has been published to the Vitech website and is ready for viewing – Designing a Simple Model using CORE’s Diagram Palette will walk users through the very basics of CORE using the drag-drop diagram tools within the software.

The model is based on a convenience store checkout system, and was designed by Vitech Vice President of Professional Services, Zane Scott. The series was produced by Customer Care Specialist Bethany Maddox, specifically using common user questions to guide the series.

“For many years, the only way to design in CORE was to use the property sheets, but in recent versions, users have been able to ‘design from the right’ – using CORE like a drawing tool, but do so much more,” Scott said. “On the surface it may look like drawings, but the fully integrated model in the CORE repository ingests the information entered through the drawings and provides the real power of the tool.”

Divided into 10 videos, the series is aimed at brand-new CORE users, university students, and seasoned users who are interested in approaching design in a new way. The new screencast series is available on the main Vitech Screencast Page.

SEDC 2014 A Success; New Demo Available

The 2014 Systems Engineering in DC (SEDC) conference successfully brought engineering minds together earlier this month, and Vitech was able to make an impact both in the presentations and in the trade show.

Ron Kratzke, Principal Systems Engineer at Vitech, presented on model-based systems engineering (MBSE) for system testing, and focused on understanding test plans, testing resources, and monitoring testing activities used MBSE principles.

In addition, Zane Scott, VP of Professional Services at Vitech, taught a tutorial titled, “More Agile than Agile: A Layered Approach to Model-based Systems Engineering.” Scott centered his talk on the approach of maintaining a disciplined systems view while still avoiding the pitfalls of component engineering.

In the conference trade show, Vitech representatives showed off the capabilities of the CORE® Server, setting up a simulated team environment where fully collaborative engineering work is conducted seamlessly.

Missed the conference? Our team would be happy to share with you information on the presentation topics, or bring a demo to your office! Just reply to this email to get started.

Book Review: The Fifth Discipline

The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, Peter M. Senge

The fundamental response to today's dynamic business environment must be the intentional transition to the learning organization. It is the learning organization that will thrive and flourish despite the ever-changing forces of the marketplace. Senge's classic book points the way to that transition.

In this book, which has been revised since its original appearance in the early 1990s, Senge discusses the fundamental disciplines that form the learning organization: personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning. He introduces the concepts of systems thinking and systems dynamics in a very accessible way and links them to the culture of the learning organization. This book is a great place to begin a course toward becoming a pragmatic systems thinker.

NOTE: Senge and his team have followed The Fifth Discipline with several supplemental books including The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook and The Dance of Change. These follow-on discussions are a treasure trove of case studies and implementation advice. Together with the Fifth Discipline itself, they make up a very practical set of guides to systems thinking in a learning culture.

On Writing Well Part 4: More Components and Process

Remember to treat writing as a system. Make your logical argument flow, building words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, paragraphs into sections, and sections into documents. Vary your constructions – they mark out the cadence of your writing. You can use cadence to convey your message. For example, a change in cadence can signal a change in thought.

Don’t bury your lead. When I was young my father was a plant engineer at a corduroy plant. One night he received a call in the wee hours from the guard at the plant. “Mr. Scott, we don’t have any lights in Plant 2,” he blurted out. My Dad asked if he had tried to start the backup generator. “Won’t start,” was the reply. Read more... 

Today's Tip: Getting Started and Skill Building Screencasts

We've heard you loud and clear!  CORE users have been telling us that we just don't have enough easy to use tutorials on using CORE.  That's all changing as of today!  You've already read about our new video walkthrough series, now let's take a moment to introduce you to the Getting Started Collection and the Skill Building Collection.  These collections are short videos that walk you through key skills. In the Getting Started Collection, you'll learn the critical skills you'll need to know on Day 1 of using CORE. After that, take some time to peruse the Skill Building Collection. These videos are the next steps that will help you broaden your understanding of the program. 

We look forward to your feedback on these videos. Contact us and let us know how we did and to suggest more topics.