Systems Engineering Principles

• Students should systematically organize and manage complex systems engineering projects using the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
• Systematically organizing and managing complex engineering projects enhances project planning, resource allocation, and progress tracking through structured task decomposition.
• Comprehend the key principles of configuration management involving version control, change management, and baseline establishment.
• Ensure system integrity and traceability throughout the development lifecycle through configuration management implementation
• Evaluate system behavior and predict performance outcomes by applying modeling and simulation techniques.
• Enhance decision-making and optimize system designs by assessing design alternatives by utilising modelling and simulation
• Key performance metrics in systems engineering should be identified and interpreted.
• System efficiency, reliability, and overall effectiveness should be assessed utilising metrics.
• Identify possible risks that are present in systems engineering projects.
• Mitigate uncertainties and ensure project success using risk management techniques.

PRE-TEST Definitions

• Risk Management involves identifying, evaluating, and addressing potential risks that may impact project success.
• Systems Analysis and Control involves technical management activities used to track progress, assess alternatives, and document decisions/data in systems engineering.
• A Program WBS is a framework defining a program, used to measure progress, plan reviews, and evaluate cost, schedule, and performance.
• A Work Breakdown Structure is a structured method in systems engineering used to organize system development using system and product decompositions.
• Configuration Management refers to the process of organizing and controlling system changes for proper functionality and consistency.
• Control refers to systematically managing changes to prevent unauthorized modifications.
• Model is described as a physical, mathematical, or logical representation of a system entity, phenomenon, or process.
• Modelling and Simulation provides virtual duplication of products and processes that represent them in accessible and operationally valid environments.
• Metrics are measurements gathered to assess project progress and condition by tracking changes in measured quantities.
• Risk Assessment involves the evaluation of the likelihood and impact of identified risks, using quantitative and qualitative methods.

INFORMATIVE DISCUSSION

• Efficient, accurate, and reliable system development and execution can be achieved by ensuring work breakdown structure (WBS) for organization and management.
• Ensures that system integrity is managed by configuration management.
• Performance analysis is delivered through metrics, modeling and simulation.
• Identifying and mitigating uncertainties is achieved through risk management.
• Measuring progress, evaluating alternatives, and documenting decisions are the technical management activities encompassed by Systems Analysis and Control.
• All steps in the system development life cycle are carried out efectively and effictiently from Systems Analysis and Control.

Systems Analysis Activities

• The evaluation of different approaches to satisfy technical and program requirements falls under Systems Analysis.
• Trade-off Studies can be used to compare alternative designs, technologies and processes to improve performance and cost-effectiveness.
• Assessing how well a system meets its objectives under varying conditions involves Effectiveness Analyses.
• Design Analyses are used to evaluate proposed design solutions to ensure compliance with requirements.

Control Activities

• System alignment to project goals, schedules, and constrains are ensured by Control Activities.
• Potential risks are identified, analyzed, and mitigated to affect project success through Risk Management.
• Consistency in system performance and design can be maintained by controlling changes to specifications and documentation by way of Configuration Management.
• Project-related informaton that supports decision-making is organized and maintained with Data Management

Performance Based Progress Measurement

• Techniques implemented with Performance-Based Progress Measurement:
  • Ensuring milestones align with needs through Event-Based Scheduling
  • Monitoring indicators to evaluate systems readiness through Technical Performance measurements (TPM)
  • Conducting formal assessments to verify compliance with requirements using Techincal reviews.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

• A structured system that is used to organize system development activites for systems engineering.
• WBS provides a hierarchical, tree-like representation of system/product architectures , services, program management and systems engineering.
• WBS originates from system and product decompositions that are produced during systems engineering.
• WBS gives utility across all aspects in system engineering;
  • breaking down tasks into smaller parts so system development can be managed effectively.
  • Organizes project data/documentation for easy tracking and management of information.
  • Structures and allocates tasks to various teams, promoting collaboration and teamwork.

Basic Purposes of a WBS

• The co-ordination of program management activites, design, development, and maintenance.
• It aids with product/process identification, risk management, configuration control and specification development.
• Budgeting and cost estimates are controlled with WBS, supporting cost/schedule.

Benefits of WBS

• WBS ensures all program activities are accounted for and linked to program objectives, providing a clear and organized breakdown of the entire scope of work.
  • WBS streamlines cost tracking by clearly defining work packages, enabling accurate estimation of tasks, and comparing costs against budgets.
  • A structured WBS aids in early risk identification, linking activities to outcomes, enabling proactive measures, and supporting contingency planning.
  • WBS provides clear milestones and deliverables for each work package, enabling easy progress measurement,performance tracking, and project schedule maintenance, with performance metrics for detailed analysis and continuous improvement.
• The WBS aids in efficient resource allocation by providing a clear roadmap for each task, ensuring they are distributed where needed, and preventing duplication or overlap.
• WBS is a systematic method for managing complex systems by segmenting them into manageable components, enhancing quality control, meeting technical requirements, and enhancing review structure and traceability.

WBS Development

• Ensuring identification of products and services, maintenance of structure for task continuity, and levels for cost/schedule control is achieved when using a WBS.
• There the levels from the WBS:
  • Level 1: The entrie system, defence item, program and its subprogram,
  • Level 2: The major elements subordinate to Level 1 product
  • Level 3: Has elements subordinate to major elements that include software and hardware.
• There are Program WBS (controlled by the program management office) and Contractor WBS (controlled and maintained by the contractor).
• Program WBS is the base for measuring technical progress, planing reviews, and assessing cost.
• Collects cost and schedule data for a contrcator and defines the work produced.

CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

• Managing changes in system design, components and documentation, ensures all elements work together as planned and modifications are recorded/approved.
• CM helps track and manage system updates ensuring consistency and traceability, prevents errors, and supports system reliability.
  • A change ensures documents, tests, and approvals reflect this.
  • Developers will use version control systems like Git to track any changes in code.
• The way a system is put togehter with it's hardware, software and documentation is a configuration. A record to keep track of change.

What is Configuration Management?

• By organizing and controlling changes in a system, Configuartion management makes sure that;
  • That the system is built to plan and to requirements.
  • Changes are tracked and recorded.
  • All parts of the system work together.
  • System documents are matching.

What is the Importance of Configuration Management

• Ensuring system changes are systematic, efficient, conflict-free is ensured by Effective CM, which causes; -Traceability between design documentation.
  • Consistency ensures built with plan.
  • Risk reduction on unintended modifications

Configuration Management Baselines

• System development is tracked with Functional Baseline, Allocated Baseline, and Product Baseline under Configuration Management.
  • Functional describes its function and requirements.
  • Allocated Baseline, decomposes and assigns requirements to different parts.
  • Product Baseline is the final and ready-to-use version.

Configuration Management Structure

• A configuration management plan ensures consistency and control with:
  • Defining and document system components and configurations.
  • Managing changes to prevent unauthorized modifications.
  • Recording and maintain change records.

Audits

• Functional Configuration Audit is ensures a function meets its requirements.
• Physical Configuration Audit is confirms physical product meets documentation.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Configuration Management

• Improves organization and tracking, change control, and efficiency.
• Enhanced security and compliance.
• Collaboration, Reduced Costs & Risks, Troubleshooting
• Complex Setup, Maintenance, Resistance to Change and Data overload, Potential for Bureaucracy, and additional costs.

Modeling and Simulation

• A model represents a system mathematically, physically, or logically; Simulation implements the model over time.
• M&S is useful for testing, analysis, or training where a model can represent real concepts.
• Products and processes are virtually duplicated and represented in available/valid environments by Modeling and simulation (M&S)

Classes of simulations

• Systems physically and electronically are represented by Virtual simulations for humans.
• Purpose of System Ensineering is descriptions of system solutions.
  • Computer Aided Design (CAD) used to describe a product electronically to and support design making.
  • Automation of requirements for performance analyses and trade studies via Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE)
  • Automation support for support and production process planning via Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)

Hardware Vs Software

• Emphasis lies within the Software with Modeling and Simulation (M&S).
• Factors in whether to use a combined approach depend complexity, flexibility, fidelity, and reuse potential

Verification, Validation, and Accreditation

• Verification is the design meeting developer specifications.
• Validation is how accurate the model represents real world.
• Accreditation is formal certification model that is used for the specific prurpose

VV&A is particularly necessary in cases when

• VV&A: Is very needed when complex or Reuse when intended.
  • When the safety is involved.
  • Significant resources when available

Consideration

• Balancing cost and how good is fidelity (the way aspects are represented in M/S), plus planning should be inherent and integrated.

Metrics

• Metrics measures the project progress and observing quantities over time.
• Three types of Metrics • Product Metrics: Ensuring the product meets requirements • Ensuring suitability and life cycle. Key indicators and elements • Following values throughout design
• Three Measures

Product Metrics

Includes these 3 measures

• Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs): critical performance requirements.
• Measures of Performance (MOPs): relating attributes of the mission.
• Technical PerformanceMeasurements : Designed progress based off reports.
• Other metrics include suitability, affordability and timing.

Risk Management

• System threats, uncertainties, and assurance for reliability on a time frame with constant adapting/checking.

Risk Identification

• Finding potential issues that can effect system integration.
• Technical, Operational, Financial, Schedule and Vulnerabilities.

Risk Management Strategies

• Risk Assessment/Mitigation
• The goal is to lower and control the expected impact on a project.
• It is an ongoing process, requires constant checks, and adaptations that include TPM measurements.
• Can include design and system modifications/ testing.