Erik Puik

Systems Engineering | Axiomatic Design | Author of Beyond the V-Model | Bridging governance, design logic, and iteration

From Taxonomy to Intervention: Rethinking Non-Functional
Requirements in Systems Engineering Practice

Bio.

Erik Puik is professor of System Design at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. He holds a PhD in Systems Engineering from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. His work focuses on the design and realisation of complex high-tech systems, with an emphasis on governance structures, design logic, and the practical organisation of engineering processes. He has more than 35 years of experience in product development, mechatronics, and manufacturing, which he combines with a methodological interest in how teams structure and justify their design decisions.

Erik has worked in both industry and academia. He has co-founded several technology ventures and contributed to the development of high-tech equipment in environments where traceability, reliability, and system architecture play a central role. This dual background helps him connect formal systems-engineering methods with the day-to-day realities of engineering organisations and supply chains.

Abstract.
Non-functional requirements are critical to systems
development yet remain problematic in practice. This paper
argues that the gap between academic work and practice
stems from a dif-ference in the question being asked.
Academic traditions ask, ‘what is an nFR?’ while practice
asks, ‘how do I safeguard this property in my de-sign?’ We
propose an intervention-oriented framework distinguishing
three safeguarding mechanisms: functionalisation,
budgeting, and system-level validation. A decision logic
based on three corresponding questions guides mech-anism
choice. The contribution is not new prac-tices but
articulation of existing ones, providing shared vocabulary
for knowledge transfer.