In 2016 the UK Ministry of Defence established an Internal Systems Engineering team to reduce the cost of external technical support to Defence Acquisition projects. After an agreement to proceed in June 2016, the team started operation in August 2016. Over the next 6 years the team:
• Grew from 3 to 60 SE consultants
• Delivered 460 discrete Systems Engineering tasks, using nearly 160 person years of effort
• Delivered £21M in direct cost savings and an estimated £5.5M in indirect costs
• Expanded the model to 4 other Internal Technical Support teams – covering Safety, Cyber security, Human Factors Integration and Quality.
Over the last 6 years the team has delivered a significant amount of high quality Systems Engineering, supporting some of the largest MOD acquisition projects. In completing this work we gathered a significant amount of lessons in undertaking Systems Engineering tasks. This presentation will provide an overview of these lessons.
The presentation will cover:
• The ITS SE team, its history, context, operating model and people. We will explain how we have evolved the operating model to improve SE delivery. We will also explain some of the limitations to the lessons identified.
• Planning the SE tasks using Systems Engineering – agree the deliverables, acceptance criteria, requirements and constraints. The importance of tailoring the generic SE process based upon the specific risks and opportunities faced in the task. How to develop a Golden Thread for each task – from client benefits, through deliverables, activities down to what the client has to deliver to enable success.
• Avoiding the typical problems associated with core SE processes. The presentation will cover specific issues to look out for in Developing Requirements, Architecting and Design, Verification and Validation, in-service Asset Management, Integrating Specialisms and System of Systems Engineering.
• Selecting the right Systems Engineers to deliver specific tasks. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of individual engineers and how to select and manage the right blended team to meet clients’ needs and expectations.
• Working with Stakeholders to deliver. Understanding the level of competence of customers, their decision making style and managing the issues that this raises. Setting and managing the delivery drumbeat. Agreeing the details of deliverables – including purpose, size, format and the approach to approval. Managing the emotional journey of clients, systems engineers and wider stakeholders.
The presentation will include specific real world examples, from recent and current projects.