Applied Systems Engineering

Systems engineering is a simple flow of concepts, frequently neglected in the press of day-to-day work, that reduces risk step by step. In this four-day workshop, you will learn the latest systems principles, processes, products, and methods. This is a practical course, in which students apply the methods to build real, interacting systems during the workshop. You can use the results now in your own work.

This workshop provides an in-depth look at the latest principles for systems engineering in context of standard development cycles, with realistic practice on how to apply them. The focus is on the underlying thought patterns, to help the participant understand why rather than just teach what to do.

Methods are Essential to Successful Systems.  Participants in this course practice the skills by designing and building interoperating robots that solve a larger problem. Small groups build actual interoperating robots to solve a larger problem. Create these interesting and challenging robotic systems while practicing:

• Requirements development from a stakeholder description.
• System architecting, including quantified, stakeholder-oriented trade-offs.
• Implementation in software and hardware.
• System integration, verification and validation.

Follow this link to a short course video

• A leader or a key member of a complex system development team
• Concerned about the team’s technical success
• Interested in how to fit your system into its system environment
• Looking for practical methods to use in your team

1. How do We Work with Complexity?

• Basic definitions and concepts.
• Problem-solving approaches; system thinking; how complexity shapes systems and system development.
• Reductionist vs. complexity approaches.
• Emergent behaviors, conceptual development, chunking concepts.

2. Systems Engineering Model.

• An underlying process model, based on ISO-15288 and the INCOSE Handbook, that ties
• together all the concepts and methods.
• Overview of the systems engineering model; process descriptions from Stakeholder
• Requirements Definition through Requirements Definition, System Architecting, System Integration, Verification, Validation, Operation, Maintenance, and Disposal.

3. A System Challenge Application.

• Practical application of the systems engineering model against an interesting and entertaining system development designing and building interoperating robots. (See Summary)

4. Operational Definition.  

• How to focus on and agree on the need for a system.
• Defining the problem in stakeholder terms, from an operational view.
• Encompassing interoperability and larger-system aspects.
• Quantifying the need for later trade-offs.

5. Requirements Definition.

• Requirements as the primary method of measurement and control for systems development.
• How to translate a need into effective requirements; types of requirements and their limitations; definition of requirements by analyzing the mission and environments, documenting good technical requirements; functional, object-oriented, and model-based SE (MBSE) methods for requirements analysis; informal requirements in Agile and Lean.

6. System Architecting.

• Designing a system using the best MBSE methods known today.
• System architecting processes; alternate sources for solutions; how to allocate requirements to the system components; how to develop, analyze, and test alternatives; how to trade off results and make decisions.
• Architecting concepts and methods, the elements of an architecture; simulation and modeling methods; interfaces and interface control; patterns and their power in architecting; architectural frameworks such as DoDAF and UPDM.
• Creating product-level requirements on the system components.

7. Product Design and Implementation.

• The role of SE during the design of product-level components; protecting the objective; summary of preliminary and detailed design stages; production planning and management; unit-level test methods; the system responsibility for unit-level acceptance.

8. System Integration and Test.  

• Building in quality during the development, and then checking it frequently.
• The relationship between systems engineering and systems testing.
• Purpose of system integration in contrast to test; planning for I&T; integration management.
• Verification and validation at multiple levels, and how they affect system quality.

9. Project Technical Leadership.

• How to successfully manage the technical aspects of the system development; virtual, collaborative teams; design reviews; technical performance measurement (TPM); technical baselines and configuration management. Integrated Product Team (IPT) methodology; technical teamwork and leadership. Technical planning, monitoring, and control.
• Risk management, requirements management.
• Trends in SE management, how complexity and Systems of Systems (SoS) are affecting SE.
• Small case studies.

William “Bill” Fournier is Principal Acquisition Systems Engineering with over 40 years of experience. Mr. Fournier taught DoD Systems Engineering full time for over three years at DSMC/DAU as a Professor of Engineering Management. Mr. Fournier has taught Systems Engineering at least part time for more than the last 30 years. Mr. Fournier holds an MBA 1984 and BS Industrial Engineering / Operations Research 1979 and is DOORS trained. He is a certified ESEP, CSEP, CSEP DoD Acquisition, LSS GB and XPMP. He is a contributor to DAU/DSMC, a defense contractor internal Systems Engineering Courses and Process, and INCOSE publications. Currently, He Is currently working to support national security systems.

Mr. Glen Francisco (CSEP, PMP) received his Engineering Bachelor’s degree Aero/Astro Engineering from RPI (Troy NY) in ‘75, Engineering MS Aero/Astro Engineering from MIT (Cambridge MA) in ‘76 and MBA Information & Business Technology from FIT (Melbourne FL) in ‘86.

Mr. Francisco’s professional work career began in 1976 working for McDonnell Aircraft Company (Boeing) in St. Louis as a GN&C Engineer, in 1980 for Martin Marietta (Lockheed) in Orlando as a Systems Engineer and then in 1995 for TI DSEG in Dallas as a Systems Project Engineer. Mr. Francisco then worked for Raytheon SAS & NCS from 1999 – 2005, L-3 Communications from 2005 – 2008 in Dallas TX as a Systems Project Manager and then from 2008 – 2013 at DRS in Dallas as a Senior Project Engineering Director. Mr. Francisco worked for Knight Enterprises in Titusville FL from 2013 – 2018 as Director of Programs with Program Management Office and Senior Leadership responsibilities. Glen currently works for BAE Systems in Austin TX as Systems Engineering Chief responsible for managing an EO/IR team.

Mr. Francisco has supported military programs for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air-Force and Marine since 1976 as well as developed products for domestic & international commercial markets to include Instrumentation, Automotive, Aviation, Firefighting, Police, Law Enforcement and Security Surveillance since 2000.

Designed by:

Dr. Eric Honour, CSEP, international consultant and lecturer, has a 40-year career of complex systems development & operation. Former President of INCOSE, selected as Fellow and as Founder. He has led the development of 18 major systems, including the Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation systems and the Battle Group Passive Horizon Extension System. BSSE (Systems Engineering), US Naval Academy; MSEE, Naval Postgraduate School; and PhD, University of South Australia.