Eight deadly defects in systems engineering and how to fix them
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The document discusses eight critical defects in systems engineering, including the lack of standard processes, shortcomings of the waterfall model, and an overemphasis on technological solutions instead of customer needs. It highlights the importance of combining the best aspects of various alternative solutions and advocates for a greater focus on preventing defects and addressing unanswered questions. The overarching theme is the necessity to prioritize both people and process in project management to enhance effectiveness and success.
![Not solving
customer's problems
• “the systems engineer is primarily interested in making equipment
changes” [Goode and Machol, 1959] page 130).
• The problem the executive had was to secure at all
times, live and accurate data concerning the exact
conditions of the business. [Farnham, 1920] page 20)
• [Beer, 1972] page 244) describes a conceptual system.
– British War Room in the Battle of Britain
– NASA’s control room at the Manned Space Flight Center in Houston,
Texas.
– bits and pieces of it existed at that time.
• Beer proposed a control centre
• Today’s technology allows for personal desktop portals accessing
information via software agents in an integrated digital or network
centric environment.
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Eight deadly defects in systems engineering and how to fix them
- 1. Eight deadly defects in systems engineering and how to fix them Dr Joseph Kasser Leverhulme Visiting Professor Cranfield University j.kasser@cranfield.ac.uk
- 2. Agenda 1. Selection of independent alternative solutions 2. The V Model 3. Lack of a standard process for planning a project 4. The Waterfall model 5. Unanswered and unasked questions 6. Lack of a metric for the goodness of Requirements 7. Focus on technological solutions not solving customer’s problems 8. The need to focus on people as well as process • Summary • Questions and discussion
- 3. The selection of independent alternative solutions • The systems engineering process has identified three alternative candidate solutions (A, B and C) • “C” gets the highest score • Which one is the optimal? • Possibly none of them • Possibly a combination of the best parts of all of them 3
- 5. Defects in the V Model • Lacks ‘prevention of defects’ • Definition of successful test? • Design works from requirements • T&E work from the need • T&E identify defects and plan to find them after they have been built into the system • Why not prevent the defects? * Kasser 1995 5
- 6. The Project Cycle Test Requirement Design Acceptance criteria (property of a requirement) 6
- 7. Prevention of defective requirements • Requirements Workshop at UMUC and UniSA • FRED and Tiger Pro • Figure of Merit for document • Produced attitude change in student’s perceptions • Produced better requirements 7
- 8. Lack of a standard process for planning a project Determination of objectives Determination of Resources Generate preliminary work plan (risks) Draft work plan version 1 8
- 9. Lack of a standard process for planning a project Determination of objectives Determination of Resources Identify and study lessons learned from previous projects Generate preliminary work plan (risks) Negotiate objectives and resources Draft work plan version 1 9
- 10. The Waterfall model • Waterfall approach does not cope well with changing requirements. • Change the production process from the waterfall approach to some type of rapid, spiral, or other methodology – Iterative waterfalls – Spiral focuses on Risk Management • Result – Some improvement • comparing Chaos 1995 with Chaos 2004 10
- 11. Assumption behind Waterfall model Contract award Waterfall Intermediate milestones (product reviews) Vision of product Desired 11
- 12. Real world of changes Contract award Desired (moving target) Waterfall Intermediate milestones (product reviews) Vision of product 12
- 13. Assumptions behind Cataract model Contract award Desired (keep your eye on the balls) Cataracts Intermediate milestones (product reviews) Configuration Control (Stage Gates) Visions of product (converge) 13
- 14. Unanswered and unasked questions • Unanswered questions – Can you tell if the project is in trouble? – What percentage of the project is complete? • Unasked questions at SRR – Are requirements with the following properties really needed? • High cost, high risk • Low priority, high cost • Low priority, high risk – Is this projected risk profile industry standard? 14
- 15. Project Priority profiles (object-oriented requirements) Why are we investing in this system? 15
- 16. Project Risk profiles (object-oriented requirements) Risk: Is this reasonable? 16
- 17. Most successful IS of the 20th century? • RAF Battle of Britain Command, Control, & Communications System – No computers – Germany had better Radar Technology – RAF evolved and used an integrated system – Adequate technology • System? • System of Systems? • Complex System? • Network enabled system? 17
- 18. Not solving customer's problems • “the systems engineer is primarily interested in making equipment changes” [Goode and Machol, 1959] page 130). • The problem the executive had was to secure at all times, live and accurate data concerning the exact conditions of the business. [Farnham, 1920] page 20) • [Beer, 1972] page 244) describes a conceptual system. – British War Room in the Battle of Britain – NASA’s control room at the Manned Space Flight Center in Houston, Texas. – bits and pieces of it existed at that time. • Beer proposed a control centre • Today’s technology allows for personal desktop portals accessing information via software agents in an integrated digital or network centric environment. 18
- 19. Complex or complicated? 19
- 20. The need to focus on people as well as process • Literature – Is full of advice as to how to make projects succeed – Has little if anything to say about the proliferating process standards 20
- 21. The need to focus on people as well as process • Systems engineering is a way of life – (Hitchins 1998) – Integration of • Schedules • Design, Testing and Integration • Systems of Systems divide? • Are we focusing on the right things? – The Standards do not provide metrics that can predict the failure of a project. • (K&W, 1998) 21
- 22. Summary Selection of independent alternative solutions The V Model Lack of a standard process for planning a project The Waterfall model Unanswered and unasked questions Lack of a metric for the goodness of Requirements Focus on technological solutions not solving customer’s problems The need to focus on people as well as process
- 23. Questions?