Systems engineering test 1

System Hierarchy

Organizational representation of the system structure
�Doesn't show interactions and their interrelations
�Elements can be:
�Atomic - not further decomposed
�Systems on their own merit

Operational Environment

Collection of elements not belonging to the SOI, but
interacts with the system

Functionality

The ability to perform a task
�Systems interaction with the operating environment, including the users
�Does a car have functionality on water.
�Does a boat have functionality on the road.

System of Systems (SoS)

System comprised of independent systems

Emergent Properties

Behavior of the system that cannot be understood
exclusively in terms of the behavior of the individual
system elements.
�Beneficial
�Can also lead to undesirable outcomes

Enabling systems

System that supports a system-of-interest during its life cycle stages but does not necessarily contribute directly to its function during operation.

What is Systems Engineering

A customer/requirements-driven engineering and management
process which transforms the voice of the customer(s) into a
feasible and verified product/process of appropriate
configuration, capability and cost/price.

Definition of RAA

R -- Responsibility: Who is supposed to do the task
�A -- Authority: Who has the authority to do the task
�A -- Accountability : Who gets blamed if something goes wrong
The goal is to
�Give authority to people who are responsible and accountable
�Make peo

Project Manager

The person who has RAA for the product
�Manages project
�Provides the environment to develop the product
�Generally has a significant level of technical depth

Perry Memo

Many military standards started to be developed
�Imposed regulatory burden on defense supply chain
�Secretary of Defense William Perry issued memorandum in 1994
�Divert from all the regulations that were in place
�Urged military contractors to adopt comme

Relationship of products and systems

Definition used here
�Each product is a system
�Definitions used by others
�System is the highest level product
�System is the highest level product within a company or an enterprise

Product Development

A product can be either produced or purchased

Systems Thinking

Deep analysis of problem or opportunity situations for which
system responses are required
�Seeks to understand the big picture
�Observes interactions, change, patterns, trends, structure
�Cause and Effect

Decision Gates in any project

-Authority to proceed
Decision Gates

"Ensure that new activities are not pursued until the previously
scheduled activities, on which new activities depend, are
satisfactorily completed and placed under configuration
control."
�Approval event
�Stakeholde

Concept Stage

�Identify stakeholder needs
�Explore ideas, technology, and concepts
�Explore feasibility
�Propose viable solutions

Development Stage

Refine system requirements
�Create solution description - architecture and design
�Implement initial system
�Integrate, verify, and validate

Production Stage

Produce systems
�Enabling systems
�Inspect, test, and verify

Utilization/Support Stage

Provide sustained system capability
�Extend the life of the system
�Avoid loss of capability

Retirement Stage

Store, archive, or dispose of the system
�Critical to think about upfront

Requirements vs Specifications

Requirements tell us the what
�Specifications tell us the how

Ludwig von Bertalanffy

developed general systems theory
was a biologist

True or false - A white box diagram is an external view of a system

False, It's an internal view

What is the difference between a boat and a car

their function in their operational environment

Which of the following is not an indicator in determining whether a SOI is a Systems of Systems

...

According to the systems thinking video what do we build when we make meaning out of knowledge?

a mental model

What was one of the reasons Perry memo was issues in 1994?

Defense industry was over-regulated

How do we know we delivered the right product

Meets requirements: Time, Cost, Quality

Give an example of a System of Systems

Transportation system

The product/system life cycle begins with what

Recognition of a need

Fill in chart with the generic life cycle phases

Concept -> Development -> Production -> Utilization/Servicing -> Retirement

A product system is composed of two types of products

End products and enabling products

The agreement process is strictly a business relationship between the acquirer and supplier and does not impact the development of a product

False

Enabling systems are only needed during the utilization stage of the system life cycle

False

A complicated system becomes complex when you introduce additional system elements

True

When developing a system, the team only needs to focus on the current life cycle stage it is in, to most effectively manage the schedule constraint

False

A system hierarchy shows the detailed interactions between system elements

false

What is the difference between a requirement and a specification

a Requirement is the what -> represents a need
Specification is the how -> how we meet the need

As our three legged stool of cost, schedule, and performance becomes out of balance, what are we creating

Risk

Milestone B in the DoD life cycle between the phase technology development and manufacturing development is an example of

Design gate

When one of the layers of our cake is changed from element A to element A-1, the process of documenting this is called

configuration control
This is important to keep track of all the changes/modifications in the system

From an economic perspective, describe how applying SE on a program is beneficial

By applying SE on a program, one can ensure that production goes smoothly and by creating a quality product in the appropriate time and at the right price

Is a watch a system

Yes because a watch has multiple parts that interact with each other to accomplish one end goal.