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Systems Engineering for Project Managers
What you need to know, what you may think that you know which ain’t so and what the main challenges are
INCOSE/APM Joint Workshop – 15 January 2013
Prof Mike WilkinsonAtkins Technical Director
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Introduction
My Current Roles
Technical Director Atkins
Technical Director Niteworks
Immediate Past-President INCOSE UK
Visiting Professor Loughborough University
My Background and History
Technical Direction Technical Infrastructure/Governance
Business Management Systems & Costing
Technical Consultancy IT/Telecoms/Systems
Academic ResearchTheoretical Physics
What follows is a personal perspective – not endorsed by Atkins, INCOSE or anybody else!
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What is Systems Engineering?• “Systems engineering is a discipline that concentrates on the design and
application of the whole (system) as distinct from the parts. It involves looking at a problem in its entirety, taking into account all the facets and all the variables and relating the social to the technical aspect.” [Simon Ramo, quoted by RISE]
• “Systems engineering is an iterative process of top-down synthesis, development, and operation of a real-world system that satisfies, in a near optimal manner, the full range of requirements for the system.” [Howard Eisner, in Essentials of Project and Systems Engineering Management, Wiley, 2008]
• “Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems.” [INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook]
Big Idea: SE is both systemic and systematic
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What is a system?
• “A system is a combination of interacting elements organized to achieve one or more stated purposes.” [INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook]
• “A system is an open set of complementary, interacting parts with properties, capabilities, and behaviours emerging both from the parts and from their interactions.” [Hitchins, “Putting Systems to Work”]
Big Idea: Systems have property of emergence – the whole is greater than the sum of the parts
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Black box view
System Boundary
System Environment
Inputs
System (P, I, C)- Properties- Interactions- Capabilities
External (Holistic) View of a System
EnergyMaterial
Information
Outputs
Constraints
Big Idea: SE is all about controlling
emergence
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White box view
PICPIC
PICPIC Internal
Interactions
Component
Internal (Structural) View of a System
System BoundarySystem (P, I, C)- Properties- Interactions- Capabilities
Big Idea: Systems are
recursive
Big Idea: You can’t optimise the system by
separately optimising its components
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There are many types of system- Hitchins’ five layer model
• Layer 5: Socio-economic layer• Layer 4: Industry layer• Layer 3: Business layer• Layer 2: Project or system layer • Layer 1: Product layer
Big Idea: There is utility in applying Systems Thinking and Systems Approaches outside of ‘trad systems’
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Systems and Engineering context
Systems Thinking
SystemsApproaches
SpecialistEngineering
BusinessEngineering
Systems Science
Systems Engineering
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Touchpoint: Process & Lifecycle (cf ISO/IEC 15288)
Investment Management
Lifecycle Management
Planning Assessment ControlDecision Making
Configuration Management
Information Management
Acquisition Supply
Maintenance
Stakeholder Requirements
Definition
Transition
Operation
Requirements Analysis
Verification
Architectural Design
Integration
Implementation
Tailoring
DisposalValidation
Enterprise Processes
Portfolio, Programme & Project Processes
Engineering & Technical Processes
Special Processes
Resource Management
Innovation
Enterprise Management
Policy & Strategy
Risk Management
Service Delivery & Operational Processes
Supply Network Processes
Development Production Utilisation & SupportConcept Retirement
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Touchpoint: Tools & Techniques
ProblemFormulation
SolutionArchitecting
SolutionImplementation
Causal Mapping
Problem Analysis
Stakeholder MappingConceptual Modelling
Requirements Definition
Contextual Analysis
Use Cases
Option Synthesis
Choices & Drivers
Decision Analysis
Maturity Modelling
Requirements Modelling
Architecture Modelling
Implementation Planning
System Dynamics
Architecture Epoch Analysis
Specialist Models & Analyses
AssuranceMethods
Experimentation
Verification
Validation
IP Management
Portfolio Management
Programme Management
Project Management
Community Forums
QFD
Big Idea: Importance of models
Functional Analysis
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Other Touchpoints
• Competencies and traits– Big picture, breadth, knowledge, communications, leadership,
etc• Artefacts
– WBS, tasks definitions, risk register/management plan, stakeholder engagement plan, etc
• Responsibilities– Requirements management, risk management, stakeholder
engagement, etc
[see NASA PM SE competency framework]
[see Eileen Arnold, “Systems Engineering and Project Management Intersects and Confusion” INCOSE IS12]
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Myths, prejudices and misconceptions
• SE is nothing more than common sense• SE is just engineering, we do it as part of
Mech Eng, Software Eng, etc• SE is just for big defence and aerospace
projects – it doesn’t apply to me• SE only applies at the early stages of a
project (or to requirements)• SE people are ‘techies/geeks’ (not pragmatic)• All you really need is PM
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The true value of SE
• A way of thinking about complex problems– Scope: Big picture/holistic– Trades: Knowing what’s important and why, when, etc– Context: Domain, environment, stakeholders and influences– Innovation: Challenging assumptions in a broader context
• A way of delivering transformation/enduring change – Levels/focus: Operations, systems & technical, change, supply network– Timescale: Typically through life, enduring capabilities– Outcomes: Address stakeholder concerns and enterprise objectives– Efficiency: Early recognition of problems to avoid expensive rework
• A way of bringing together disparate disciplines – Interdisciplinary: Interactions and dependencies– Specialisms: Safety, security, supportability, etc– Integration: Assembling the parts to achieve emergence
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Challenges facing SE
• Inter-profession ‘jurisdictional competition’• Market forces driving differentiation• Functional stove-piping in businesses• Local optimisation to achieve key priorities• Unwillingness to ‘spend to save’• Inadequate skills in the marketplace• Underpowered/oversold tools and methods• Focus on ‘technical’ rather than ‘soft’ issues• Craft status• Lack of clarity on motivation/benefits
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The need for systems engineering…
Systemic
Iterative
Incre-mental
Systematic
Multi-Disciplinary
Socio-Technical
…only a whole systems approach can ‘bring it all together’