To create a complicated system, an engineer must have a lot of patience and perseverance. The more complex the system the longer and more tedious a project it becomes. An engineer cannot figure out everything at once. It takes time to see the big picture, to look for all the small details. You will test and test and still find errors. You have to have patience to know that it takes time and determination to keep going after hundreds of failed attempts. #2 Ability to Know When You Are Done A good systems engineer wants their project to be flawless, but often it’s too easy to fall into a perfectionist trap. You tell yourself, “One more change and it will be perfect.” However, doing this may mean you never complete your project and all that hard work will become obsolete. The best engineers know when their system is good enough and when the system needs a little more re-engineering.