Chapter 4

Systems Engineering
Management
 Systems Engineering
• Systems engineering is a part of project management that
– Provides technical guidelines, system integration, and
technical coordination.
– Contributes to resource allocation, task definition, and
customer interaction.
Systems engineering as a part of
project management
 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchical task
organization, which:
– Subdivides total effort into successively smaller work
elements.
– Provides the basis for scheduling, costing, and
monitoring, and
• Cost control and estimating: Forecasts and collects costs
System Product WBS Partial
Breakdown Structure
 Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Critical Path Method (CPM)

– Is based on WBS work elements

– Creates a network of sequential activities.

– Identifies paths that take the longest to complete.

Systems Engineering Management Plan
(SEMP)

• The systems engineering management plans

– Plans implementation of all systems engineering tasks.

– Defines the roles and responsibilities of all participants.

 Elements of a Typical SEMP
• Development Program Planning and Control

• System Engineering Process

• Engineering Specialty Integration

 Elements of a Typical SEMP
• Development Program Planning and Control
– Statement of work
– Organization
– Scheduling

– Technical performance measurement

– Risk Management
 Elements of a Typical SEMP
• System Engineering Process
– Operational requirements
– Functional analysis
– System analysis and trade-offs strategy

– System test and evaluation strategy

 Elements of a Typical SEMP
• Engineering Specialty Integration
– Reliability, maintainability, and availability (RMA)
engineering
– Producibility engineering
– Safety engineering

– Human factors engineering

Place of SEMP in program Management
Plans
 Risk Management
• Risk management is a major challenge to systems
engineering, since:
– All new system developments present uncertainties and
risks.
– Reducing program risks is a continual process
throughout the life cycle
– Risk must be reduced as program investment rises.
 Variation of program risk and effort
throughout system development
Effort

Relative Development Effort

Program Risk

Program Phase
Example of a risk mitigation waterfall
chart
 Risk Management
• A risk management plan is important to support risk
management.
• Risk assessment identifies the importance of risk in terms
of
– Risk likelihood - probability of failure
– Risk criticality - impact of failure
 Risk Likelihood
Risk Design status
likelihood
High Significant extension from past designs
Multiple new and untried components
Complex components and/or interfaces
Marginal analytical tools and data
Medium Moderate extension from past designs
Components complex but not highly stressed
Analytical tools available
Low Application of qualified components
Components of medium complexity
Mature technologies and tools
 Risk Criticality
Criticality System impact
High Major degradation in
performance (50 – 90%)
Serious safety problem
Medium Significant degradation in
performance (10 – 50%)
Short losses of operability
Costly operational support
Low Minor degradation in
performance ( > 10%)
Occasional brief delays
Increased maintenance
Program impact
Major increase in cost and/or
schedule (30 – 70%)
Production cutbacks
Significant increases in cost
and/or schedule (10 – 30%)
Intense reviews and oversight
Production delays
Minor increase in cost and/or
schedule ( < 10%)
Vigorous reviews and oversight
 Risk Management
• Risk mitigation of a critical area may include:
– Management reviews
– Special engineering oversight
– Special analysis and tests
– Rapid prototyping
– Retry of rigorous requirements
– Fallback developments
 Systems Engineering Organization

• Spans disciplines and participating organizations

• Adapts to the company organizational structure
• Must communicate effectively “ what, when, and why ”
• Provide technical reviews for all participants.
• Should be supported by a systems analysis staff.
 Risk decision tree for a system power deficiency

Not Enough 60
Hz Power

Reduce
power Add Use 400 Hz
needs power power

Different Reduce Need to Need Need 400 Hz to 400 Hz to 60 Hz

Equipment Functionality add to add More 60 Hz uninterruptable
weight Space Fuel Converter power source
 Systems Engineering Organization
• Large programs will require formal system design teams,
which
• Integrate major subsystems and subcontractors
• Integrate software systems engineering
• Contain members from support engineering and the test
organization
• Contain specialty (concurrent engineering) members as
appropriate
• Include user representation when called for
• Focus on the success of the entire enterprise.
• Are becoming the norms for industry, especially in defense
programs.
 Capability Maturity Model Integration
(CMMI)
• Extends methodology developed for software
• Applies to both systems and software engineering
• Assesses practices in 24 process areas
• Is being adopted by government and defense industry
• New systems engineering standard ISO / IEC 15288
– Is expected to supercede prior standards
– Emphasizes broad enterprise view of system
 CMMI Process Areas

• The 24 CMMI Pas can be grouped under four categories as

listed below:
– Process Management Category
– Engineering Category
– Project Management Category
– Support Category
 CMMI Process Areas
Process Management Category
• Organization Process focus
• Organizational process definition
• Organizational training
• Organizational process
performance
• Organizational innovation and
deployment
Engineering Category
• Requirements management
• Requirements development
• Technical solution
• Provide Integration
• Verification
• Validation
 CMMI Process Areas
Project Management Category
• Project planning
• Project monitoring and control
• Supplier agreement management
• Integrated project management
• Risk management
• Quantitative project management
Support Category
• Configuration management
• Process & product quality
assurance
• Measurement & analysis
• Decision analysis and resolution
• Causal analysis and resolution