The primary purpose of this paper is to propose a future direction of investigation: a more formalized approach to developing systems engineering methodologies and tools to support the system engineer and other disciplines in effectively applying the systems engineering process. This approach is based on the concept of using design principles to achieve specified objectives. The achievement of these objectives is indicated by the presence of defined attributes within the developed system. A secondary purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the concept of objectives, principles, and attributes provides a means for promoting an increased understanding of the similarities and interrelationships between systems engineering and other disciplines, particularly software engineering. A direct consequence of this increased understanding is an improvement in the application of the systems engineering development process.