2019 December 11 - Why the SEMP is Not Shelfware. How to Write a SEMP to Ensure it Delivers Value to All!
Becky Reed, ESEP and President and CEO of Reed Integration. Ian Presland, ESEP, Charterhouse Systems, and Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET).
One of the key documents used to both plan and manage the development and execution of a complex system is the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP). Whilst contracts and organizational business management systems commonly call for this document, there is still a surprising lack of awareness and understanding as to the purpose and role of the SEMP within the wider project, confused in areas such as how it relates to other key planning documents, such as the Project Management Plan, System Integration and Test Plans and many other discipline-specific plans such as the Software Development or Hardware Development Plans. This problem is exacerbated when tender documents call for a draft SEMP to be submitted – with writers struggling in areas as to how much detail to provide to a potential Customer in advance of the detailed planning of the project. This tutorial is designed to provide guidance for those struggling with writing of a SEMP. It covers the differing uses of a SEMP, key stakeholders for each use case and typical information content. Along the way, the tutorial will tackle questions such as “What exactly is the SEMP purpose?”, “What topics should be addressed?” (including What is the appropriate level of detail?”) and “How to I ensure my SEMP is both read and used as I intended?”
2018 October 26 - Design Structure Matrix Methods and Applications
Dr. Tyson Browning, , Professor of Operations Management in the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University.
The design structure matrix (DSM) is a powerful tool for visualizing, analyzing, innovating, and improving systems—including product designs, organizational structures, and process flows. The DSM is a square matrix showing relationships between system elements, which can be product components, software code packages, teams, activities, etc. By analyzing a DSM, one can prescribe a better (e.g., more modular) system architecture or organization. Adding a time-basis to the model enables one to prescribe a faster, lower-risk process. Because the DSM highlights process feedbacks, it helps identify iterations, cycles, and rework loops (key drivers of cost and schedule risk). The DSM is concise, visually appealing, and used in many organizations across diverse industries. Users have found it extremely useful for fostering architectural innovation and enabling the situation awareness and empowerment that motivates the people executing complex processes. This tutorial introduces DSM and applications for product developers, systems engineers, and project and program managers. Real-life examples are presented from the aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, and other industries. Participants will engage in hands-on exercises (building DSM models) and come away with a clearer understanding of the drivers of critical, emergent behaviors in systems. The methods can be applied immediately to systems for quick results and insights.
2018 May 10-11 - Model Based System Engineering
Matthew Hause, PTC Engineering Fellow, co-chair of the UPDM group, a member of the OMG Architecture Board, and a member of the OMG SysML specification team.
This tutorial presents an overview of MBSE, its history, goals, and SysML modeling techniques for system engineering activities on a variety of project types and sizes. This will include case studies on best practice, lessons learned and actual ROI from government and industry organizations. It will also have an overview of the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) and Enterprise Modeling. Group exercises will take place after the presentation of each set of concepts to ensure that students understand the concepts. Attendees work in small groups to complete a number of worked examples, providing hands-on experience of applying the techniques and re-enforcing the concepts. Presentations and discussion are used to convey concepts, techniques and notation. Case study exercises allow practical application of the techniques. Attendees work in small groups to complete a number of worked examples, providing hands-on experience of applying the techniques and re-enforcing the concepts.
2017 September 22 - Integrating Systems Engineering, Project Management
and Quality Management
Dr. Heidi Hahn, ESEP, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Ann Hodges, CSEP, Sandia National Laboratories
Recently there has been growing interest in applying systems engineering (SE) and project management (PM) to complex engineering projects in an integrated way – INCOSE has formed an alliance with the Project Management Institute (PMI) and chartered a SE-PM Working Group for this purpose, for example. Both Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory have taken up this quest, and have each developed what they call their Mission Assurance Framework, which describes the integrated application of SE, PM, and engineering quality and rigor (which is one area of overlap in the specializations claimed by both disciplines, along with topics such as stakeholder analysis and configuration management) to achieve mission success. The presenters will describe their organizations’ Mission Assurance Framework, including similarities and differences, and discuss what factors drove the decisions that were made. Participants will work through a series of questions to consider in making integration decisions for their own organizations. The goal of the tutorial is to instill an appreciation for the benefits of a graded approach to applying a mission assurance framework, and how to apply the ideas discussed in the participants’ organization.
2017 May 19 - Agile Risk Management
Rick Dove, INCOSE Fellow, Paradigm Shift International
To be effective, projects/processes/products (all viewed as systems) have to mate well with their operational environments. Operational environments are not static, they react to disturbances and evolve with opportunity and whimsy. Inserting a system into an environment is a disturbance. Sustaining a system in an environment entails compatible evolution. The environment is the problem space the system will occupy. Understanding the requirements for a compatible-to-the-space solution is best done before system functional requirements get too far ahead and shape an incompatible path. But how do we characterize the environment as a dynamic problem space and develop solution-response requirements, sufficient to guide the design of risk-mitigating agility? Characterizing the problem space is an ill-structured problem. It cannot be expressed in numbers and equations, nor solved with algorithms. This tutorial provides heuristic frameworks for developing useful characterizations of the problem space, and for developing risk-mitigating requirements for the solution space; grounded with real examples and in-class application practice. Given enough understanding about the problem, effective solution requirements and features becomes (almost) obvious. The problem shapes and constrains effective solution, but only to the extent that we understand it.
2016 May 12-13 - Two-Day Review of INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook Version 4.0
John Clark, CSEP, Chair of INCOSE Training Working Group.
Interested in learning or reviewing SE from the INCOSE SE Handbook V4.0 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2015 perspective, optionally taking the INCOSE SE Professional (SEP) exam, and achieving INCOSE Associate SEP (ASEP), Certified SEP (CSEP), or Expert SEP (ESEP) Certification? If Engineer or Manager is in your job title, please join us on May 12 and 13, 2016 for this tutorial. This 2-day session will provide a brief overview of the INCOSE SEP process and a detailed summary of each chapter of the INCOSE SE Handbook V4.0. INCOSE member login (including INCOSE Corporate Advisory Board (CAB) employees and students) to access and review the SE Handbook V4.0 in the INCOSE Store and/or to access the INCOSE SE Handbook V4.0 Training Working Group webinar recordings in the INCOSE Library is highly recommended either in advance of or as follow-up to this tutorial. Course materials include the tutorial slides (including PowerPoint Notes), example exam questions, exam tips, help to fill-out your application, reference to audio & video recordings for later
2015 October 23 - Interface Management—From Theory to Modeling
Mathew Hause, PTC Engineering Fellow.
Systems interoperate using interfaces. They exist between capabilities, organizations, people, systems, systems of systems, and so forth. Interfaces are used to support both system to system communication as well as supporting the complete set of enterprise goals. This tutorial addresses system interface-management issues and the benefits of model-based approaches. An initial focus will be placed on interface information content that needs to be addressed at each level of system decomposition – from external stakeholders to system boundary to, eventually, system component- to-component. The focus will then shift to methods for reducing interface management theory to model-based and functional/logical design practice. We will also cover system interconnection and communications, how they change, operate and evolve over time to implement mission goals and to satisfy stakeholder needs.
2015 June 19 - Systems Thinking Workshop: Learning How to Think About Systems in a Holistic Manner
James Martin, INCOSE Fellow, The Aerospace Corporation. System thinking has been touted as the “Fifth Discipline” in Peter Senge’s famous book by that name. However, this is usually limited to the use of systems coupling diagrams and system archetypes to help understand the nature of feedback and complex system behavior. You will need more than these tools to fully appreciate how to think clearly about systems in a truly holistic manner. This workshop will teach you some essential principles and concepts of systems and how to use these in a “systemic” fashion to improve your ability to think about systems in a holistic manner. You will learn about the PICARD Theory and the Seven Samurai Framework. You will see how the Knowledge Pyramid helps you understand how systems convert data into information that is used for the discovery of knowledge to be used in making better decisions. The workshop will let you spend about half of our time together working exercises in your team to fully understand and appreciate these ideas.
2014 November 7 - Tradeoff Studies, Techniques and Biases
Eric Smith, Ph.D., University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Tradeoff studies, which involve human numerical judgment, calibration and data updating, are often approached with under confidence by analysts and are often distrusted by decision makers. The decision-making fields of Judgment and Decision Making, Cognitive Science and Experimental Economics have built up a large body of research on human biases and errors in considering numerical and criteria-based choices. Relationships between experiments in these fields and the elements of tradeoff studies show that tradeoff studies are susceptible to human biases: this tutorial indicates ways to eliminate the presence, or ameliorate the effects of mental mistakes on tradeoff studies.
2014 March 14 - Tutorial #1: Introduction to Systems Engineering
2014 March 15 - Tutorial #2: Introduction to Transformational Systems Engineering
Scott Workinger, Ph.D., Stanford Engineering. Tutorial #1 introduces a variety of creative and analytic tools, with examples of pitfalls and practical challenges. Tutorial #2 is an introduction to the integration of classical systems engineering with new techniques such as Agile Systems Engineering, Complex Systems Engineering, Human/Systems Integration, Model-Based Systems Engineering, Systems of Systems Engineering, and Design Thinking.
2012 October 26 - The System Concept: Bringing Order to Chaos
Regina Griego, INCOSE Fellow at Sandia National Laboratories, showed the goal of a requirements elicitation and analysis process as the development of a shared vision or concept of the system, specified before engineering design efforts begin. The tutorial included lecture with examples and exercises that showed how to analyze stakeholders based on function, how to develop a behavioral conceptual model for a system based on stakeholder goals, and how to develop an initial system structural model based on stakeholder language.
2012 June 22 - Design Structure Matrix Methods and Applications
Tyson Browning, Associate Professor of Operations Management in the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University, presented a tutorial on "Design Structure Matrix Methods and Applications". The tutorial introduced the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) method and demonstrated its application to product, organizational, and process architecting.
2012 May 10 - Complex Systems and Complexity Measurement on Programs
Sarah Sheard, Principal at Third Millennium Systems, taught a tutorial that explored systems engineering using the sciences of complex systems.
2011 December 02 - Configuration Management and CMII Principles
Eric Hales from the Institute of Configuration Management provided a half-day tutorial on Configuration Management and CMII Principles. Attendees learned that it is possible to escape the "corrective action" operational mode through accommodating change and keeping requirements clear, concise and valid. CMII expands the scope of CM beyond traditional product definition to any information that could impact safety, security, quality, schedule, cost/profit or the environment. CMII shifts the emphasis to integrated business processes.
2009 October 30 - Tradeoff Studies and the Biases that Plague Them
Eric Smith, professor at the University of Texas, El Paso, presents this half-day tutorial that explors ways to eliminate the presence, or ameliorate the effects, of mental mistakes and human biases on tradeoff studies.
2009 February 09 - Risk and Opportunity Management
Eric Honour, past INCOSE president and CEO of Honourcode, presented a tutorial on Effective Methods to Work With Uncertainty in Complex Projects
2009 February 05 - Systems Engineering in the Test and Evaluation Environment
Eric Honour, past INCOSE president and CEO of Honourcode, led a workshop that examined the increasingly close relationships between systems engineering and T&E. On one hand, T&E is presented as an integral but independent part of the target system development, performing the essential system role of proof. On the other hand, systems engineering is presented as an essential part of the T&E environment, providing the methodology to develop today's complex T&E systems. By the end of the day, the participants understood what systems engineering tools are useful in the T&E environment and how to be more effective in system-level proof.
2008 March 03 – Engineering the Structure and Strategy of Agile Systems and Enterprises
Rick Dove, Industry Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology and CEO of Paradigm Shift International, presents this full day tutorial that explores the fundamental architecture, design principles, and response requirements analysis for any system or process that would be agile – adaptable in the face of an uncertain, unpredictable, evolving environment.