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Systems Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington

Systems Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington Dr. Susan Ferreira, Assistant Professor and SERC Director March 10, 2010. My Background. 17+ years Defense and Aerospace industry employment Systems engineering for complex software intensive systems

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Systems Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington

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  1. Systems Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington Dr. Susan Ferreira, Assistant Professor and SERC Director March 10, 2010

  2. My Background • 17+ years Defense and Aerospace industry employment • Systems engineering for complex software intensive systems • Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems & Solutions, General Dynamics, Northrop Corporation • Multiple systems engineering roles over the development cycle

  3. Agenda • UTA Systems Engineering Program • Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) • PATFrame Activities & Support

  4. The University of Texas at Arlington • Main campus in Arlington, Riverbend Campus in east Fort Worth, Fort Worth Center (Santa Fe Station) in Downtown Fort Worth • 100 buildings on 420 acres • A new engineering research building under construction • 78 BS, 74 MS, and 33 PhD Programs • 5700 Degrees awarded in 2007-08 • 25,000 students • 1320 Faculty Founded in 1895

  5. UTA SE Program Background • Systems Engineering identified as the most critical human resource need in engineering by Aerospace and other DFW industry • Partnered with industry to develop a research and education capability focused on the methods, tools, technologies for Systems Engineering • UTA has established Systems Engineering as a strategic initiative

  6. Systems Engineering Program Master of Science in Systems Engineering Ph.D. in IE with a Dissertation Focus in Systems Engineering Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) www.uta.edu/serc

  7. MSSE Education Objectives • A practical experience-based program • Provides students with the fundamental and applied management and technical knowledge to support the development of large scale complex systems • Immediate relevant value for students when returning to or entering industry

  8. Master of Science Features • Tailored for busy working professionals with evening or distance classes • Instructors with significant industry experience in Systems Engineering and Program Management ensures business perspective • Cohort-based core classes provides practical team focused experience Intro to Systems Engr. Systems Engineering I Systems Engineering II Cohort-based Systems Engineering III

  9. Local Companies/Government Represented by SE Students/Alumni Accenture Bell Helicopter Federal Aviation Administration Georgia Tech Research Institute L-3 Communications Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control Mary Kay Cosmetics Motorola Perot Systems Raytheon Systems Siemens U.S. Army Vought Aircraft Systems

  10. Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) • The SERC is an Official University Center of The University of Texas at Arlington • The SERC Seeks to Address Key Challenges with Innovative Approaches • www.uta.edu/serc

  11. SERC Vision & Purpose Premier industry, government, and academic institution collaborator, fostering mutually beneficial and ongoing relationships with our partners while working jointly to solve critical problems and initiate new areas of ground breaking research in systems engineering • Solve complex, interdisciplinary, “never before seen”, and defined/unsolved problems • Identify and develop research areas of interest with industry and government agency partners • Address international and national level system engineering problems

  12. UTA SERC Research Agenda Mission: Optimize Systems Engineering for Complex Systems SE Process Improvement SE Understanding & Analysis Variability Reduction Applied to SE Lean Principles Applied to SE SE Process Simulators Decision Support Tools Systems Engineering Testbed Defense & Aerospace Health Care Energy Environment Systems of Systems Requirements Engineering Complex Software Intensive SE Architecture Focus Areas Domain Areas

  13. SERC Projects A Prescriptive and Adaptive Testing Framework (PATFrame) for Unmanned and Autonomous Systems of Systems The Development of a Systems Engineering Simulator (TSGC) Systems Engineering Testbed: Systems Engineering Learning and Research Re-invented Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) Exam Preparation Course

  14. SE Simulator Research Direction • Focus: Develop various simulators that can be used to better understand process dynamics of systems engineering and evaluate project, program, and enterprise factors and options • Utilize systems dynamics modeling • Value of system dynamics modeling • Ability to deal with non-linear processes • Illustrate feedback loops

  15. SE Simulator Research Direction • SE Simulator benefits • provide experiential learning & training • accelerate development of systems engineers • evaluate “what-if” scenarios in a no risk/no impact manner • test ideas about a project or system prior to implementation • study & predict project performance

  16. SE Simulator Research Direction • Leverage software engineering simulator research • Precedent set in developing software engineering project related simulators that explore & help understand system dynamics • Effects of multiple software development risks • Effects of requirements volatility • Effects of schedule pressure • . . .on cost, schedule, quality …and other key indicators • Analogous work can be done for systems engineering

  17. SE Simulator Research Direction • Simulator scope: Process, Phase, Project (R&D project, Systems Development project), Program (multi-project), Enterprise level (multi-program) • Phase focused: Requirements Engineering, Integration & Test, Transition to Operation, Logistics, etc. • Life: concept definition through disposal, development, etc. • Level: System, System of Systems (SoS) • Key Project Issues/Risks: requirements volatility, excessive schedule pressure, low morale/team commitment, inadequate staffing & resource timing, etc.

  18. TSGC Systems Engineering (SE) Simulator • Objective: Develop causal models and architecture for a systems engineering process simulator tailored for NASA processes • Provides a tool that can help others understand complex systems engineering project system dynamics • Focused on key project risks • E.g. Requirements volatility

  19. Example Research Questions • What Systems Engineering Factors are Affected by Requirements Volatility? • How can These Factors and the Uncertainty Associated to These Factors be Modeled? • What is the Project Management Impact of Requirements Volatility? • Do Certain Process Factors or the Use of Specific Requirements Engineering Techniques Mitigate the Risk of Requirements Volatility (RV)?

  20. Original Causal Model

  21. SE RV Causal Model

  22. Systems Engineering Testbed A unique, nationally recognized laboratory resource for Systems Engineering research and for the development and deployment of Systems Engineering methods and tools • Unique Systems Engineering simulation environment • Unprecedented access to SE tools for various phases of a project lifecycle • Resource for training mid-career and new systems engineers • Multi-use reconfigurable, dynamic resource and research environment

  23. CSEP Exam Preparation Course Objective: Prepares systems engineering professionals to take the INCOSE CSEP exam and includes a comprehensive coverage of the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook

  24. UTA PATFrame Activities & Support Unmanned and autonomous (UA) system of systems (SoS) test and evaluation (T&E) ontology model Causal models DoDAF extensions

  25. UAS SoS T&E Ontology Model • Provides a common foundation of understanding for UA SoS test and evaluation • Describes (1) objects, (2) relationships between objects, (3) use of objects inside and outside domain boundary, and (4) rules which govern the entities existence and behavior • Used in support and development of other PATFrame deliverables

  26. UAS SoS T&E Ontology Model • What are the key “things” in the test domain? (system(s) under test, test process, test products, test infrastructure [including test equipment, simulators, stimulators, test sensors, …], test personnel, etc)? • What are the associated attributes? • When are these things created? • How are these things related?

  27. System Test and Evaluation Process (Draft) 02-05-2010

  28. March 11 Ontology Workshop Questions • What key “things” are we missing? • How does your process map to the draft T&E process? What is missing? What is the same? • Which organizations are responsible for each subprocess? • What triggers the test process to occur? What are the inputs? Outputs? • Who are your subject matter experts? Can we contact them?

  29. Causal Models • Causal models • used to illustrate the combination of factors and associated relationships between the factors (including nonlinear relationships) • lead to development of systems dynamics models

  30. DoDAF Extensions • Develop recommendations to augment DoDAF for test and evaluation

  31. Project Related UTA Research Centers / Laboratories Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) Center on Stochastic Modeling, Optimization, & Statistics (COSMOS) Autonomous Vehicles Laboratory Enterprise Engineering Group Human Factors Laboratory . . . Many others . . .

  32. Thank You! Dr. Susan Ferreira ferreira@uta.edu 817-272-1332

  33. Backup Slides • Additional information about SE program and SERC

  34. UAS SoS T&E Ontology Model Major Tasks • Conduct a literature review • Identify current and projected T&E policies, standards, procedures, processes and other related information • Conduct a survey of key subject matter experts • Analyze literature review and survey • Findings will include an initial identification of ontology inputs • Develop ontological views and document the ontology model views • Validate the ontology • Document final ontology in a report and present the results

  35. Causal Model Major Tasks • Conduct literature review • Identify challenges (or problems) and risks inherent in T&E (UAS SoS). • Generate a prioritized list of challenges and risks based on potential criticality and commonality of problems, challenges and risks seen in the literature review and findings from MIT’s prioritized set of challenges identified for Task #1. • Develop an initial set of causal maps for a selected set of challenges and/or risks • The causal maps will identify the factors and relationships between the factors believed to be related to the challenges and/or risks • Validate the causal models • Document final causal models in a report and present the results

  36. DoDAF Extensions Major Tasks • Conduct a literature review • Identify the current or proposed use of DoDAF in the T&E community. This will be used as a basis to assist in evaluating prospective DoDAF related recommendations • Conduct a survey to evaluate the use of DoDAF in the UAS T&E community • Effort will identify the extent of use, types of DoDAF views used, and (if used) the current processes used to generate T&E specific views • Develop recommendations to generate UAS T&E SoS views and how the views may be created using the framework for dynamic adaption • Validate the DoDAF results • Document DoDAF activity results in a report and present the results

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