SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
FUNDAMENTALS
WHAT’S A SYSTEM?
DOD :An integrated composite of people, products, and processes that provide a capability to satisfy a
stated need or objective.
NASA:
A set of interrelated components which interact with one another in an organized fashion toward a common
purpose.
INCOSE:
A construct or collection of different elements that together produce results not obtainable by the elements alone.
Jim Hines
SOME EXAMPLES OF SYSTEMS
• NEW COMPUTER NETWORK SYSTEM
• REUSABLE LAUNCH SYSTEM • A UNIVERSITY
• NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM
• 35 MM CAMERA SYSTEM • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM • COMMUNICATION NETWORK SYSTEM
ROCK SYSTEM?
Crystalline structure formed of
various chemical compounds
Chemical compound is formed
from chemical elements
Each Element is composed of
protons, neutrons, and
electrons
Even though a rock has a well
defined boundary, a rock can
be a part of a river bed or part
of a geological formation
Jim Hines
SOMEONE’S SYSTEM IS
SOME ELSE’S SUBSYSTEM
A system is
most
often
hierarchical.
Your system
is someone
else’s
subsystem
Someone’s
system, may
be your
subsystem.
System Understanding
System System Boundary Boundary Environment Environment Environment Environment Environment Environment Boundary Boundary Boundary Boundary System Description• Objective or Function: What is purpose or goal? Is it static or dynamic? Is it open or closed? • Control: How is it regulated?
• Structure: How is it assembled? Is it physical or conceptual?
• Complexity: How many parts and how are they related?
• Origin: Is it natural, man-made, etc.?
System Elements
• Components • Attributes
Jim Hines
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING DEFINITIONS
International Council Of Systems Engineers (INCOSE): An
interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems.
Electronic Industry Alliance (EIA) Standard IS-632, Systems
Engineering (1994): An interdisciplinary approach that encompasses
the entire technical effort, and evolves into and verifies an integrated and life cycle balanced set of system people, products, and process solutions that satisfy customer needs.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) 1220, Standard for Application and Management of the Systems
Engineering Process (1994): An interdisciplinary, collaborative
approach that derives, evolves, and verifies a life-cycle balanced system solution which satisfies customer expectations, and meets public acceptability.
WHY SYSTEMS ENGINEERING?
• Increased complexity of products and processes
• Large number of interfaces among components, sub- components, etc
• Evolution of world wide competitive markets & Time to Market (Competition)
• Exponential expansion of knowledge & technology
• Customer demand for optimized systems
Individuals can no longer solve complex problems by themselves. It has become necessary to organize multi-disciplined teams where each
member contributes a specific skill or expertise to achieve a common goal.
Jim Hines
SYSTEM COMPLEXITY EXAMPLE –
INDY RACE CAR
Carbon- Fiber Skin
Sophisticated electronic nervous
system
Serpentine wires Precision sensors LCDs
Spread spectrum wireless
communications equipment
Antilock brake systems kick in
when sensors detect a spin
Data Acquisition Geeks (DAGs)
Laptop pulse monitoring of a 800
horsepower data terminal remote control as it speeds around the track at 220mph
Speed of Human Transportation 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 Time (AD) M ile s p e r H o u r
RAPID TECHNOLOGY CHANGES
Speed of a galloping horse: 43 MPH
Fastest Jet Airplane: 2193 MPH
Speed of sound 758 MPH ; Chuck Yeager October 1947
Steam powered trains: 126 MPH First Autos: 39 MPH
Bullet Trains: 300 MPH Fastest Prop Plane: 600 MPH
Fastest jet-powered automobile: 740 MPH Fastest rocket powered airplane: 4534 MPH
Nuclear powered space craft: 32,000 MPH
Jim Hines
THREE BASIC ARGUMENTS FOR THE VALUE OF
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
• The cost-time trade effect
Time from project start Cost to fix
a missed
requirement
• Assurance that the system will accomplish its objectives
COST OVERRUN AS A FUNCTION OF SYSTEMS
ENG. EFFORT
Reference: Metrics and Case Studies for Evaluating Engineering Designs, Moody et al
5 10 15 20 25 0 0 40 80 120 160 200 * GRO 78 * OMV * TDRSS GALL * * CHA SEASAT * * UARS * STS * MARS * TETH * Ulysses * Voyager * COBE * ERB 80 * ISEE * HEAO CEN * * HST * DB
Systems Engineering Effort (% of Total Cost)
Jim Hines
AEROSPACE SYSTEMS FAILURES - EXAMPLE OF THE NEED FOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
• Multiple failures across different launch vehicles and contractors
Vehicle Launch Spacecraft Failure Mode
Titan IVA-20 12 Aug 98 NRO Electrical cable short Delta III 26 Aug 98 Galaxy 10 Vehicle roll stability Titan IVB-27/IUS-21 9 Apr 99 DSP-19 IUS Stage separation Athena II 27 Apr 99 IKONOS Fairing failure to sep Titan IVB-32/Centaur-14 30 Apr 99 MILSTAR-3 Centaur guidance s/w Delta III 4 May 99 ORION-III RL10-B2 engine
• No common hardware or software failures/causes among incidents
• Each individual incident considered a small error or oversight •that
led to total loss of mission
• Cost of these failures to various users/customers: Over $3 billion!
WHO DOES SYSTEMS ENGINEERING?
•
All Members of a Multi-disciplinaryTeam • Engineering • Quality • Subcontract Management • Business Management • Etc.
• Everyone involved with development
of a system should be a “systems-thinker”.
• Keep the end result in mind.
• Everyone should use a common
framework (PROCESS) and language (REQUIREMENTS):
Sees the forest amongst the trees
Jim Hines
Science
determines what
IS……..
Component Engineering
determines what
CAN BE ……..
Systems Engineering
determines what
SHOULD BE …………
Systems engineering provides a systematic and orderly framework that should be
accepted and used by all disciplines during the development of complex systems.
A SYSTEMS ENGINEER IS ONE WHO
Orientation to customer (s) /stakeholder (s)
Promotes broad-based thinking
Practices a top down approach
Recognizes the importance of processes
Employs evolving innovative skills, techniques
& tools
Develops appreciation for the role of all
disciplines and their integration (Facilitator/
Integrator)
Acquires an experience base that prepares &
motivates for greater individual responsibility
Jim Hines
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
Know the problem Focus on purpose(s)
Know the customer, ex. the consumer, the user,
stakeholder expectations
Discipline focus on the end product Use operational effectiveness criteria Establish and manage requirements and
performance measures
Verify requirements and validate system
performance
Identify and assess alternatives so as to
converge on a solution
Manage interfaces
Perform risk management
Maintain the integrity of the system
Use an articulated and documented process Manage against the plan
Corporate focus on continuous and process
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING IS A PROCESS AS
WELL AS A FIELD OF STUDY
Jim Hines
APPLICATION OF SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
Systems Engineering process &
discipline applies to all programs
Application & Balancing
Considerations (“Art of Systems Engineering”)
Size and complexity of the system Level of system definition detail Scenarios and missions
Set of measures of effectiveness/metrics
Known constraints and requirements Technology base
Other factors related to major risk areas
Enterprise best practices and strengths Cost, Schedule, and Risk
SUMMARY
A system is a construct that produces results not
obtained by its elements alone
“Systems” Engineering competence is the fundamental
skill needed in today’s environment to provide a
systematic and orderly framework that can be used by multiple disciplines during development of complex
systems
What you do upfront will have greatest impact on
success/failure later on
Somebody’s system can be someone else ‘s subsystem Systems Engineering is a process and a discipline (a
field of study).
Requirements key =f[customer, user, developer, life cycle view, program management effort]
Systems engineering activity must be designed to manage risk and performance parameters
