Start with first principles. Build things that work.
A comprehensive guide to systems engineering discipline—from requirements to delivery. Learn the thinking, processes, and fundamentals that separate great engineers from mediocre ones.
Most engineering failures don't come from lack of technical skill. They come from skipping fundamentals, accepting unexamined assumptions, and confusing activity with progress.
Simple changes require months. Meetings about meetings. No one can give straight answers about timelines.
No one defines what success looks like. Teams argue endlessly because goals aren't clear. Testing becomes guesswork.
Constant firefighting. No space for first-principles analysis. Jump to solutions before understanding problems.
"Let's make it generic!" before solving the first use case. Complexity for flexibility nobody needs.
A systematic approach to engineering that works. From concept to delivery. Principles that don't change when technology does.
Power, mass, link, timing budgets. If you can't quantify these, you don't have a design.
Read more →Writing testable requirements. Decomposition. Traceability from concept to verification.
Read more →Defensible decisions through systematic analysis. COTS vs custom. Innovation strategies.
Read more →Building without hardware. Test strategies. Designing for testability from day one.
Read more →Testing approaches. MTBF analysis. Reliability engineering. Proving it actually works.
Read more →Deliverables. Code freezes. Hotfixes. Anticipating customer needs. ROI thinking.
Read more →Quick lookups. Red flags. Decision frameworks. Templates. Checklists for when you need answers fast.
Read more →New to the guide? Begin with first-principles thinking and the engineering mindset.
Start reading →Learn the fundamentals they don't teach in school. Understand why experienced engineers do what they do. Skip years of trial and error.
Fed up with dysfunction? This is the systematic approach you wish your team would use. Reference material for doing it right.
Set the standard for your team. Teach first-principles thinking. Build a culture that values rigor over activity.
Could we charge for this? Sure. But that misses the point entirely.
I've spent years learning systems engineering—not from textbooks, but from mentors who took time to teach me, from mistakes that cost real money and schedule, from the discipline of doing it right when no one was watching. Brilliant engineers shared their knowledge freely with me. Now it's my turn.
I want you to stand on my shoulders. Learn what I've learned. Skip the mistakes I made. Build better systems faster. Then teach the next generation what you've discovered. That's how engineering gets better—not by hoarding knowledge, but by spreading it.
Is this competitive information? Maybe. But helping engineers become better helps everyone. When you build better systems, we all benefit. When you teach others, the whole industry rises. The goal isn't to be the only one who knows—it's to raise the bar for what "good engineering" means.
This is what Wavelet Solutions is about: mutual success through strong knowledge. We need to make money, yes—but we also need to make the world better at building things that work.
So take this knowledge. Use it. Improve it. Share it. Build something amazing.
Then come back and teach me what you learned.
Start with first principles. Skip the guesswork. Learn the fundamentals that don't change when technology does.
Free resource. No signup required. Just engineering discipline.