Engineering

Management

MSE607B
Systems Engineering

Module 1
Introduction to Systems Engineering

Introduction to Systems Engineering

Topics
Importance of systems engineering in engineering
practice
Subject of systems in general
Origins of systems engineering

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

Explain the need for creating systems and what
requirements they address
Define some terms and characteristics of systems
Evaluate systems based on their ability to fulfill specific
needs
Discuss what activities management perform to
support the system engineering process

The Current Environment

Requirements are constantly changing

Greater emphasis on total systems
Structures become more complex

Life cycles of systems are extended; l ife cycles for

technologies are shorter

Utilize commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment

Increasing globalization
Greater international competition
Increase in outsourcing
Decrease of available manufacturers
Higher overall life cycle costs

The Need for Systems Engineering

System engineering addresses various needs to be

more effective and efficient in:
Development and acquisition of new systems
Operation and support of systems already in use

Need to consider key concepts and definitions

Why Systems Engineering?

Mars Climate Orbiter

Lost in September 1999

Root cause of loss was failed
translation of English units into
metric units in a segment of
ground-based, navigationrelation mission software
"The problem here was not the
error, it was the failure of
NASA's systems engineering,
and the checks and balances in
our processes to detect the
error. That's why we lost the
spacecraft. Dr. Edward Weiler

Definition of System

Generated from the Greek word systma

An organized whole

Merriam-Webster Dictionary
A regularly interacting or interdependent group of items
forming a unified whole

Another definition
Any set of interrelated components working together
with the common objective of fulfilling some designated
need

Additional Definitions

International Council on Systems Engineering

(INCOSE)
An interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the
realization of successful systems

MIL-STD-499
An interdisciplinary approach that encompasses the
entire technical effort to evolve and verify an integrated
and life cycle balanced set of people, products, and
process solutions that satisfy customer (stakeholder)
needs

Additional Definitions (cont.)

General Characteristics
Complex combination of resources
Contained within some form of hierarchy
May be broken down into subsystems and related
components

Allows for simpler approach and analysis of the system and

its functional requirements

Must have a purpose

Functional
Able to respond to identified need
Able to achieve its objective
Cost-effective

Must respond to an identified functional need

Origins of Systems Engineering

Foundation in the Natural and Physical Sciences
Driven by:

Complex Systems

Military, Space, Aerospace

Longer Life Cycles

Systems Failures

Origins of Systems Engineering

(cont.)

Example: Transportation
System
Physical Features

Main lanes, ramps,

connectors, and carpool lanes

Operational controls

Speed limits, regulatory

restrictions, and management
controls

All components must work

together to achieve the
common objective

Multiple Disciplines

System Engineer
Responsible for integration of multiple components into
one system
Must have knowledge in:

Mechanical
Electrical
Computer Science
Civil
Chemical Engineering

Cross-functional, multi-discipline engineers

Elements of a System

Primary Components
Physical objects, concepts, processes, feelings, and
beliefs

System Boundary
Encompasses components that can be directly
influenced or controlled

Environment
Factors that have influence on the effectiveness of a
system, but cannot be controlled

Elements of a System (cont.)

Environment

Example: Freeway
System
System Boundary

Weather/Seaso
n
Access Roads
Vehicle
Characteristics
Operational Control Guidance/Navigation
Origins/Destinations
Traffic
Composition
Driving
Population

Enforcement

HOV

Main Lanes

Ramps and Connectors

Types of Systems

Natural Systems
Came into being through natural processes
Examples: River System and Energy System

Man-Made Systems
Developed by human beings

Physical and Conceptual Systems

Static and Dynamic Systems
Closed and Open-Loop Systems

Costs of New System Development

When Things Go Wrong

Easy to say design was

bad
What is the right way to
do it?
Most systems have to be
modified in order to ensure
better performance

Systems engineering is
about learning from
experience

Three Laws of Systems Engineering

Everything

interacts with everything else

Anything done to the system creates impacts that ripple

throughout the system
Everything

goes somewhere

When working with a system, one deals with multiple

interfaces
Account for interface and follow where it goes
There

is no such thing as a free lunch

Everything comes at a price

Who Does Systems Engineering?

Military/Govt Companies and Agencies

Raytheon, Eaton, Parker, Boeing, Airbus, NASA

International Council on Systems Engineering

(INCOSE)
Non-profit membership organization founded in 1990

International Centers for Telecommunication

Technology (ICTT)
Specializes in solving its clients complex systems
problems

All Companies and Engineers

Characteristics of a System
Engineer

Big picture person

Focus on the objectives of the end user/stakeholder
Be able to take a broad perspective.
Leave nothing out and pay attention to details
Be able to consider and address all contingencies

A Mental Model for Systems

Engineering

Systems engineering is like

peeling an onion
Outer Layers

System description more abstract

and contains low level details

Inner Layers

System description less abstract

and contains more design
requirements and elements

What Systems Engineers Do

Key Foundations
Systems Design
Systems Analysis

Tools and Methods

Project Management
High Level Design
Planning, Modeling
Quality and Statistical
Analysis
Decision/Risk
Analysis
Simulation, Testing
Configuration Mgmt
Six Sigma, DFSS

Systems Engineering Process

Problem Definition
(planning)
Verification
(operations)

Systems
Approach

Mechanization
(construction)

Analytical Solution
(design)

Expertise on the Systems Team

Management
Domain/
Stakeholders

SE
Process
Technology
(Engineering
Disciplines)

Modeling,
Simulation,
Analysis

Key Terminology

Life Cycle
Requirements
Functional vs. Physical
Qualification - Verification/Validation
The Ilities
Risk

System Life Cycle

Includes entire spectrum of activity

Identification of need through system design and
development
Production and/or construction
Operational use
Sustaining maintenance and support
System retirement
Material disposal

System Life Cycle Stages

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Development
Manufacturing
Deployment
Training
Operations, maintenance, support
Refinement
Retirement
Autos 5 to 10 Years
B-52 Bomber 50 Years

Systems Failures

Result from:
Incorrect assumptions
Oversights
Mistakes

Example
Columbia Space Shuttle
Miscalculated seriousness of
damage inflicted on isolation
panels of orbiter during lift off

Systems Failure Example:

Firestone Tires on Ford Explorer

Low tire air pressure

175 deaths and 700 injuries
20 million tires replaced
Cost of $6 billion
Confluence of events in extreme conditions

Systems Failure Example:

Firestone Tires on Ford Explorer (cont.)
Failure Factor
Tread Notch Stress

Design

Operation Service

Rubber
Inflation Specification

Mfg

Tire pressure

Temperature

Repair of Punctures

Years !!

Systems Engineering Process:

V Model
Development standard for IT systems of Federal
Republic of Germany
Standardizes activities and products in development
of IT systems
Guarantees

Improvement in quality
Curtailment of costs
Improved communication between customers and
contractors

Systems Engineering Process:

V Model (Cont.)

Requirements,
Documents,
Specifications
Models
Interfaces
Risk,
The Ilities

Quality
Reliability
Usability
Producibility

Understand User
Requirements,Develop
SystemConceptand
Validation Plan

Demonstrateand
ValidateSystemto
UserValidation Plan

IntegrateSystemand
PerformSystem
Verification to
PerformanceSpecifications

DevelopSystem
PerformanceSpecification
and System
Validation Plan

. ..

. ..

Expand Performance
Specifications intoCI
Design - toSpecifications
and CIVerification Plan
EvolveDesign- to
Specifications into
Build - toDocumentation
and Inspection Plan

Time

Right System?

AssembleCIs and
PerformCIVerification
to CIDesign - to
Specifications
Inspect
Build -to
Documentation

Fab ,Assembleand
CodetoBuild -to
Documentation

Built Right?

Systems Engineering
Design Engineering

How

Systems Engineering Process:

Waterfall Model (cont.)

Software development model

Standardized, documented
methodology

Document system concept

Identify and analyze requirements
Break the system into pieces
Design each piece
Code the system components and test
individually
Integrate the pieces and test the system
Deploy the system and operate it

Widely used on large government

systems

Systems
Requirements

Software
Requirements

Preliminary
Design

Detailed
Design

Coding and
Debugging

Integration
and Testing

Operations and
Maintenance

Systems Engineering Process:

Spiral Model

Systems Engineering Process:

Spiral Model (Cont.)

Advantages
Estimates (budget
and schedule) get
more realistic as work
progresses.
More able to cope
with the (nearly
inevitable) changes
that software
development
generally entails

Disadvantages
Estimates (budget
and schedule) are
harder at the outset

The Stakeholder

Internal or external customer

Member of a group who will be involved with
the system
Users, purchasers, maintainers, administrators
Relevant Stakeholder
Describes people or roles designated in the
plan for stakeholder involvement

Requirements
Key activity in system development
Define

Needs and wants of the stakeholders

What the system must do

Condition or capability
To solve a problem
To satisfy a contract, standard, specification

Most complex and crucial part in system

development
Bridge between application demands and solutions

Requirements (cont.)

Four Categories
Input/Output

Interface between the system and other systems/components

Technology/System Wide

Technology being used throughout the system and its

components

Trade Offs

Solution options and the selections made

Qualification

What demonstrates compliance of the system to the

requirements

Requirements (cont.)

Typical Requirements Analysis

Identify source material
Identify stakeholder needs
Identify initial set of requirements (top-level functional,
non-functional, performance and interface
requirements)
Establish design constraints
Define effectiveness measures
Capture issues/risks/decisions

Functional Models
Transforms inputs into outputs
Describes what happens

Problem defined by the requirements analysis in

clearer detail

Identify and describe the desired functional behavior

of each system element or process
Typically performed without consideration of a
specific design solution

Functional Analysis
Define operational scenarios
Derive system behavior model

Reflect control and function sequencing, data flow and

input/output definition

Derive functional and performance requirements

Allocate to behavior model

Define functional failure modes and effects

Interfaces
Functions connect to other functions and systems via
interfaces
Standards of Interfaces

Used in commercial applications

System failures often occur at an interface

Architectures
Gives the functionality,
connectivity, and structure
of the system
Used to identify the
interfaces
Provide the basis for the
system integration process

Operational
Concept

Functiona
Physical
l
Architect
Architect
ure
ure
Operational
Architecture

Interface
Architecture

Qualification
Demonstrates that system requirements have been
met
Covers the system requirements

System/subsystem specifications
Associated interface requirements specifications

Verification of a system ensures that:

Right system was built right
Conformance to the system specifications

Validation of a system ensures that:

Right system was built
Stakeholder acceptance

The ilities

System design

Meets requirements
Achieved desired
outcomes

Reliability
Quality
Usability
Upgradeability
Flexibility
Manufacturability
Availability
Serviceability
Maintainability
Interoperability

Reliability

Construction of a model that represents the times-tofailure of the entire system

Based on the life distributions of the components from
which it is composed

Example
Expressed in terms of means hours between failure
System Reliability is 500 hrs Mean Time Between
Failure (MTBF)
If MTBF changes to 300 hrs, then:

More spare parts needed

More service people needed
More service tools and space needed

Risk Analysis

Analyzing and quantifying risk in:

Technology
Experience, Knowledge base
Project Schedule
Project Budget

Undesirable events are identified and then analyzed

separately
For each undesirable event, possible improvements
are formulated

Summary
Importance of systems engineering in engineering
practice
Subject of systems in general
Origins of systems engineering

Interactive Workshop

A system is a:
a)
b)
c)
d)

Group of dependent but related elements

comprising a unified whole
Group of independent but interrelated elements
comprising a unified whole
Group of elements
Group of components

Interactive Workshop

Systems Engineering is:

a) The process of defining, developing and integrating
quality systems.
b) The process of defining and developing quality
systems.
c) The application of engineering to solutions of a
complete problem
d) The set of activities controlling overall design and
integration of interacting components to meet the
needs of stakeholders.

Interactive Workshop

Systems engineering requirements:

a)
b)
c)
d)

Stems from the Greek word requma

Last activity in system development
Define the needs and wants of the stakeholders
Define the needs and wants of the engineers

Interactive Workshop

A life cycle is the entire spectrum of activity:

a) From system design and development through
retirement and material disposal.
b) From system operations through retirement and
material disposal.
c) From system design through operation and material
disposal.
d) From system development through material disposal.

Interactive Workshop

A stakeholder is a:
a) A person or group who studies systems
b) A member of a group involved with the system in
some way
c) A member of a group involved with Engineers in some
way
d) None of the above

Homework Assignment
Page

44 problems

2
3
4
9

Use

homework format provided in course

website
Read Chapter 2
Pages 46-107

Questions? Comments?