Fundamentals of System Engineering

What is recursive?

Adding value to the system "by the repeated application of processes to design next lower layer system products or to realize next upper layer end products within the system structure.

What are the three main objectives of project planning?

managing the technical aspects of the project, managing the project team, and managing the cost and schedule

Definition of Systems Engineering

methodical, multi-disciplinary approach for the design, realization, technical management, operations, and retirement of a system.

What is a stakeholder?

A "stakeholder" is a group or individual that is affected by or has a stake in the product or project. The key players for a project/product are called the key stakeholders.

When is the best time to conduct a design trade study?

The cost curves clearly show that late identification of and fixes to problems cost considerably more later in the life cycle. Conversely, descopes taken later versus earlier in the project life cycle result in reduced cost savings.

What is a customer?

The key players for a project/product are called the key stakeholders. One key stakeholder is always the "customer." The customer may vary depending on where the systems engineer is working in the PBS. For example, at the topmost level, the customer may be the person or organization that is purchasing the product. For a systems engineer working three or four levels down in the PBS, the customer may be the leader of the team that takes the element and integrates it into a larger assembly. Regardless of where the systems engineer is working within the PBS, it is important to understand what is expected by the customer.

What are the cost effectiveness considerations?

The objective of systems engineering is to see that the system is designed, built, and can be operated so that it accomplishes its purpose safely in the most cost-effective way possible considering performance, cost, schedule, and risk. A cost-effective and safe system should provide a particular kind of balance between effectiveness and cost. This causality is an indefinite one because there are usually many designs that meet the cost-effective condition.

What is produce realization processes?

The product realization processes are applied to each operational/ mission product in the system structure starting from the lowest level product and working up to higher level integrated products. These processes are used to create the design solution for each product (through buying, coding, building, or reusing) and to verify, validate to meet stakeholder expectations

What are results?

The results include system-level qualities, properties, characteristics, functions, behavior, and performance.

Technical Managements Processes

The technical management processes are used to establish and evolve technical plans for the project, to manage communication across interfaces, to assess progress against the plans and requirements for the system products or services, to control technical execution of the project through to completion, and to aid in the decision-making process.

What is validation of a product?

Validation of a product shows that the product accomplishes the intended purpose in the intended environment—that it meets the expectations of the customer and other stakeholders as shown through performance of a test, analysis, inspection, or demonstration.

What is verification of a product?

Verification of a product shows proof of compliance with requirements—that the product can meet each "shall" statement as proven though performance of a test, analysis, inspection, or demonstration (or combination of these).

What is iterative?

application of a process to the same product or set of products to correct a discovered discrepancy or other variation from requirements,"

What is a "system"

combination of elements that function together to produce the capability required to meet a need. The elements include all hardware, software, equipment, facilities, personnel, processes, and procedures needed for this purpose; that is, all things required to produce system-level results

What is system design processes?

define and baseline stakeholder expectations, generate and baseline technical requirements, decompose the requirements into logical and behavioral models, and convert the technical requirements into a design solution that will satisfy the baselined stakeholder expectations.