Skip to content
#3 in EngineeringUdemyBestseller on UdemyEngineeringPaid courseAll LevelsCertificate

Product Development & Systems Engineering (INCOSE / 15288) (Udemy.com)

The complete Product Development and Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours!

Created by: Christopher Olson

Last updated August 2026

Our take

Based on the ratings of 6,593 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in August 2026. No course pays to be reviewed.

A 26-hour walk through the systems engineering life cycle, mapped to ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 and the INCOSE handbook. The 103 lectures cover context diagrams, requirements, architecture, SysML, verification, and the management processes, with a big block of nearly 12 hours on the technical processes alone. It's built for working engineers, project managers, and people preparing for the INCOSE knowledge exam. The description says no background is required, and reviewers with PMP or IT experience seem comfortable, but this is a standards course, not a hands-on build. Expect slides and lectures, not projects.

Christopher Olson teaches graduate systems engineering, and reviewers say he turns dry standards into something practical, with plenty of diagrams and worked examples. Completeness gets praise too, though one reviewer finds the parts uneven. The complaints are about delivery. Several recent reviewers call the narration monotone, even robotic, and one wonders whether the audio was machine-read. Others say the talking doesn't follow the slides, so it's hard to read, listen, and match the two. There are no quizzes in the 103 lectures, which one reviewer wanted after each section. Another finds the videos long and talkative for the amount of content.

Still, 4.5 stars from about 6,600 reviews and a refresh in August 2026 make it a solid pick for INCOSE prep, and the headline promises 25 contact hours. One caveat: the practice question bank lives on the instructor's own site, not on Udemy, so treat this as the lecture half of exam prep. Beside the electronics, ROS 2, and aerospace courses in this category, it's the process and management option, not a hardware or code one. Worth it if you want the standards explained in plain terms; skip it if you need lively video to stay focused.

Best forEngineers and project managers prepping for the INCOSE knowledge exam, or anyone who needs the 15288 processes explained in plain terms.
Skip it ifYou want hands-on design, code, or hardware work, or you lose focus fast with slide-and-voiceover lectures.

Pros

  • Maps closely to ISO 15288:2023, 29148:2023, and the INCOSE handbook 5th edition
  • Reviewers say the diagrams and worked examples make dense standards practical
  • Updated August 2026, with 103 lectures across the whole life cycle from concept to disposal
  • Nearly 12 hours on the technical processes alone: requirements, architecture, SysML, V&V

Cons

  • Recent reviewers call the narration monotone and robotic; one asks if it was machine-read
  • Talking often doesn't track the slides, so it's hard to read and listen at once
  • No quizzes or exercises; the practice question bank is a separate course off Udemy
They take the dense INCOSE and ISO 15288 standards and make them super practical and easy to understand.
Jhon, a student

Listed as All Levels; an engineering, PM, or product background helps, and a PMP holder and a 20-year IT veteran both say it still fits where they are.

icon
What you will learn

  • How to develop complex products or systems
  • How to apply "systems thinking" by approaching problem solving holistically, from the top-down.
  • What a product hierarchy is and how to use them.
  • How to define system boundaries and primary interfaces in a context diagram.
  • How to identify, involve and elicit requirements from system users and key stakeholders.
  • How to compartmentalize your need / problem set into manageable domains, ultimately arriving at solutions from the "top-down".
  • Who a Systems Engineer is and what their roles and responsibilities are.
  • How Systems Engineering will add value to your product development effort.
  • How to apply the Systems Engineering Method toward solving your identified need / problem set.
  • How to manage across your product's life cycle, in-depth, phase by phase.
  • What milestones and decision gates are and how to apply them on your development project.
  • How to decide which life cycle strategy is best for your development project.
  • How to apply the various technical processes throughout your product's life cycle.
  • How to formulate the operational concept and other life cycle concepts for your system.
  • How to elicit and capture business and stakeholder requirements.
  • How to capture a formal problem or need statement, which kicks off your development project.
  • How to define, derive and decompose system requirements.
  • How to write effective requirements.
  • How to capture your requirements in a System Requirements Specification (SyRS).
  • How to identify the different types of requirements and their role in the development effort.
  • What architectures are and how to define and capture the architecture for your system.
  • What Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is and how to apply it.
  • What the System Modeling Language (SysML) and Unified Modeling Languages (UML) are.
  • How to create each type of SysML and UML diagram.
  • How to develop formal use cases.
  • How to decompose system functions or behaviors into smaller, more manageable sets.
  • How to construct the functional flows and relationships throughout your system architecture.
  • How to formulate the physical solution for your product.
  • How business relationships and contracting play a role in product development.
  • What Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) are and how they are used.
  • How to apply system implementation, integration and verification.
  • How verification and validation help foster a successful product.
  • How to apply systems engineering toward system manufacturing & production.
  • How to transition your product into the marketplace.
  • How to sustain and upgrade your products once they are fielded and being used.
  • How to plan and execute the ultimate disposal of your system.
  • How to apply project management principles toward your product development efforts.
  • What the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) is and how to make it effective for your project.
  • What a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is and how to use it on your project.
  • What the Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) is and how it is different than the WBS.
  • How to apply formal decision management and trade study processes.
  • How to manage risks for your development effort.
  • How to manage the configuration of your system and its enabling elements.
  • How to apply quality assurance toward developing your product.
  • How to apply information management for your development effort.
  • How to apply measures, such as: Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs), Measures of Performance (MOPs), Key Performance Parameters, Technical Performance Measures
  • How to form business relationships and contracts using the acquisition process and supply process.
  • How to apply life cycle management.
  • How to manage the portfolio of projects.
  • How human resource management plays a role in product development.
  • How to apply quality management throughout the organization.
  • How to tailor the processes to suit the needs of your projects or organizational goals.
  • How to use modeling & simulation and prototyping to save time and money on your development effort.
  • How to use the Object Oriented Systems Engineering Method (OOSEM) toward the development of system software.
  • How to apply Lean Systems Engineering principles.
  • The fundamentals of Agile Systems Engineering.
  • The fundamentals of specialty engineering disciplines
  • Finally - How to prepare for the INCOSE certification knowledge exam.

Course content

9 sections · 103 lectures · 26 hours of video

  1. 1Introductory / Groundwork Topics 5 free previews12 lectures · 2.4 hours
  2. 2Product Life Cycle 1 free preview9 lectures · 1.2 hours
  3. 3Technical Processes41 lectures · 12 hours
  4. 4Technical Management Processes13 lectures · 3.2 hours
  5. 5The Agreement (Contracting) Processes3 lectures · 37 min
  6. 6Project Enabling Processes6 lectures · 1.1 hours
  7. 7Tailoring Processes6 lectures · 2.2 hours
  8. 8Specialty Engineering Principles12 lectures · 3.3 hours
  9. 9INCOSE Knowledge Exam Preparation1 lecture · 9 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Product developers
  • Engineering and systems engineering professionals
  • Engineering students and instructors
  • Professionals seeking INCOSE certification

What you need before you start

  • A background in engineering, math, product development or project management is helpful but not required.

How it compares

Against the other 335 rated Udemy courses in Engineering on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.5 out of 5higher than 55% of them
  • Reviews6,593#8 of 336 by number of reviews
  • Length25.7 hourslonger than 94% of them
  • Last updatedAugust 2026more recently than 96% of them

icon
Course Description

Product Development & Systems Engineering uses a structured yet flexible approach to provide a holistic, solid foundation to the successful development of complex products or systems.

This course will take you step by step through the product life cycle, from conception to design, development, production, deployment, sustainment and disposal. You will learn how the different components of a system interrelate, and how each contributes product accomplishing its missions. Systems engineering terminology, which can so often confuse the newcomer, is presented in an easily digestible form. Video lectures for individual topics will introduce key concepts. This course welcomes anyone who wants to find out how complex products or systems can be developed and implemented successfully. It is relevant to anyone in project management, engineering, quality assurance, product support, operations, management, maintenance and many other areas. No specific background is required, and we welcome learners with all levels of interest and experience.

The course aligns closely with ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023 and 29148:2023 - the standards used by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). This course covers most of the material from the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook 5th edition - and more!

If you are interested in INCOSE Exam practice questions, head over to the main learnSE site for 1,200 questions and fillable IPO sheets. You won't find these on Udemy. Note: The practice exam question bank is a separate course from this one.

icon
Udemy Discount

The discount is applied through our link. Open the course from here and Udemy's current promotional price is applied at checkout on most courses, no code to type.

Some courses are excluded from Udemy's promotions. If the price does not drop, clear your browser cookies and use the button again.

icon
Instructor Details

Christopher Olson

Christopher Olson is a decorated systems engineering educator, mentor, and practitioner with over a decade of experience teaching graduate-level courses at a major U.S. university. Since 2012, he has designed, launched, and managed multiple systems engineering courses—earning Distinguished Instructor, Outstanding Instructor, and Sustained Excellence Awards for his commitment to student success.

As a capstone mentor in the Master of Science in Systems Engineering (MSSE) program, Christopher has guided nearly 200 students to graduate with honors, helping them bridge academic rigor with real-world application.

Certifications & Affiliations:

INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP)

PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)

OMG Certified Systems Modeling Professional (OCSMP)

DOD DAWIA Level III in Program Management and Systems Engineering

Member of PMI and INCOSE

Industry Experience: Originally from Golden, Colorado, Christopher has been immersed in aviation since age 16. He is a U.S. Army Air Cavalry Veteran and has supported Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) for nearly 20 years. His systems engineering work spans multiple high-impact programs, including:

H-1, Presidential, and Heavy Lift Helicopter Programs

icon
More Engineering courses

$74.99

$12.99

$10.99

$84.99

$14.99

$13.99

icon
Reviews

4.5

6,593 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Alejandro Sevil Núñez on 7/28/2026

Me ha encantado la gran variedad de ejemplos prácticos y diagramas con los que el profesor ilustra el contenido del curso y del INCOSE SE Handbook. Creo que podría mejorar el curso el hecho de reducir el tiempo que se pasa en la misma dispositiva sin señalar o destacar el contenido de la misma, durante el cual se puede reducir la concentración y dificultar la retención del contenido.

By Shah Islam on 7/10/2026

Generally ok, however there should be short knowledge tests after every section. Also, the instructor should point which topic in the screen he is talking as he did not repeat the slide content mostly. So, it's difficult to read, listen and correlate.

By David Michelson on 6/25/2026

This course is very complete, nicely structured, and well presented. However, it only represents the first part of the full course as the online question bank available at selearn.teachable.com represents the essential second part.

By Jhon on 5/26/2026

Its a fantastic job of breaking down what could easily be a dry topic. They take the dense INCOSE and ISO 15288 standards and make them super practical and easy to understand. Highly recommended for anyone looking to get a clear, real-world handle on systems engineering!

By David Rozenbeek on 5/22/2026

The course content are good and very comprehensive. It's a great way to learn about System Engineering. However, the video lessons are too long and "talkative" at time. I feel that much content could probably be removed to make the learning process faster and leaner.

By Jay Smith on 2/16/2026

Excellent, with some room to improve. My suggestions: 1. Test more: This course could be improved with frequent quizzes, to check that learning has ocurred before moving to the next section. 2. Balance. The Technical Processes got way more focus than the other processes and lessons. It could be improved by providing more depth on other processes, and on the specialist engineering areas. 3. More examples, analogies, mnemonics. Some were used (focussed on the ATM, or aviation), but could be improved with more mnemonics and story-telling to learn the concepts; including WHAT IF something is not done. Why should we care? Who got it wrong in the real-world? Make it matter. 4. More up-to-date content; now we must consider the role of SysMLv2 or modern ARCADIA concepts and add-ons. We must also consider the role of AI in Product Development (e.g. to define, edit, and query the system models and query the documentation set).

By Raul Conesa Martinez on 1/22/2026

Excellent instructor and content. I propose this course to be mandatory for all starters on SE and for senior practitioners for getting back to the fundamentals. 10/10

By Avita Wilson on 1/12/2026

This course helped me bridge the gaps I had in understanding Systems Engineering methods. Additionally, it helped me get a better understanding of the overall product development principles and methods.

By Krishnapriya Suresh on 12/29/2025

The course gives a very detailed overview of the INCOSE handbook. Yet from the ASEP/CSEP exam point of view, there is quite a lot of information that isnt covered here. It is also challenging to maintain focus on the lecture series due to its monotonous tone.

By Javier Morell Mañas on 12/6/2025

It gives a good view of what you will find in the INCOSE Handbook, but there is no practice for the exam of INCOSE. At the beginning of the course, you receive a really good view of what system engineering is; the rest of the course is checking all the details of the different elements/parts involved, but you don't get much value for the real work in that part. Also, you won't see how to create SysLM Models that will be your daily basics.

Showing all 10 reviews on CourseDuck

Read all 6,593 reviews on Udemy

icon
Quality Score

No CourseDuck member has rated this course yet. Taken it? Give each part a thumbs up or down.

Content Quality
/
Video Quality
/
Qualified Instructor
/
Course Pace
/
Course Depth & Coverage
/

Overall Score : 90 / 100