systems engineering for project managers - what you need to know

Copyright © 2013 Atkins Ltd

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


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!


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


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


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


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


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’


Systems and Engineering context

Systems Thinking

SystemsApproaches

SpecialistEngineering

BusinessEngineering

Systems Science

Systems Engineering


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


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


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]


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


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


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


The need for systems engineering…

Systemic

Iterative

Incre-mental

Systematic

Multi-Disciplinary

Socio-Technical

…only a whole systems approach can ‘bring it all together’