Systems of Systems Challenges and
Strategies Jo Ann Lane
jolane at usc.edu
March 2010
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Overview
SoS context and key challengesSoSE strategies
• Incremental commitment and evolution• Lean principles• Engineering cost estimation• Engineering and management artifacts• Test and evaluation
Future plansAcknowledgements
3
Net-Centric SoS Net-CentricConnectivit
y
What is a “System of Systems”?Very large systems using a framework or architecture to integrate constituent systems (CSs)Exhibits emergent behavior not otherwise achievable by CSsSoS CSs
• Independently developed and managed• New or existing systems in various stages of
development/evolution• May include a significant number of COTS
products• Have their own purpose• Can dynamically come and go from SoS
Typical domains• Business: Enterprise-wide and cross-enterprise
integrations• Military/Crisis Response: Dynamic
communications infrastructure
Based on Mark Maier’s SoS definition [Maier, 1998]
Laboratory System
Imaging Management
SystemPharmacy
System
PatientManagement
System
TelemetrySystem
Health Care
Network
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SoS Taxonomy
Virtual [Maier, 1998]• Lacks a central management authority and a clear SoS purpose
Collaborative [Maier, 1998]• CS engineering teams work together, but no overarching SoSE
team to guideAcknowledged [Dahmann, 2008]
• Have recognized objectives, a designated manager, and resources at the SoS level (SoSE team)
Directed [Maier, 2008]• SoS centrally managed by a government, corporate, or Lead
System Integrator (LSI) and built to fulfill specific purposes
SoSE Activities for “Acknowledged” SoS
Key challenges• Focusing CSs on SoS
needs and capabilities• Coordinating
development of new capabilities across CSs
• Creating SoS roadmap to guide CS activities
• Testing SoS capabilities in an asynchronous development environment
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Translating capability objectives Translating capability objectives
Translating capability objectives
Addressing new requirements
& options
Addressing new requirements
& options
Addressingrequirements
& solution options
Understanding systems &
relationships(includes plans)
Understanding systems &
relationships(includes plans)
Understanding systems &
relationships
External Environment
Developing, evolving and maintaining
SoS design/arch
Developing, evolving and maintaining
SoS design/arch
Developing& evolving
SoS architecture
Assessing (actual)
performance to capability objectives
Assessing (actual)
performance to capability objectives
Assessing performance to capability objectives
Orchestrating upgrades
to SoS
Orchestrating upgrades
to SoS
Orchestrating upgrades
to SoS
Monitoring & assessing
changes
Monitoring & assessing
changes
Monitoring & assessing
changes
SoSE (SoS SE Guidebook View Based on
Interviews and Analysis of 18 DoD SoSs in Various Stages)
O&S PD EMD
● ● ●
Constituent System n
(pre-existing)
TDMSANew System A
Constituent System B
(pre-existing)
MS A MS B MS C
SoSE Synchronization Challenges
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Increment m
Increment n-1
SoS SE Level*
Increment m+1
Increment n Increment n+1
SoSE Process Strategies: Incremental Commitment Model for SoS
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Clear “battle rhythm” for SoS incremental upgrades, driven by prioritized backlog of needed capabilities….
Constituent systems use their own lifecycle upgrade processes to integrate SoS requirements into their own incremental upgrade….
SoSE Process Strategies: Lean Enterprise Principles
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SoSE guided by LAI Lean Enterprise 4 Grand Questions
SoSE Core Element
Lean Enterprise Grand Questions
Stakeholder Considerations
Holistic Enterprise
View
Q1: Understand Current
Q2: Future Possibilities
Q3: Strategies and Tactics for Future
Q4: Change Process
Translating Capability Objectives X X X
Understanding Systems and Relationships X X X
Assessing Performance to Capability Objectives X X X X
Developing and Evolving an SoS Architecture X X X X
Monitoring and Assessing Changes X X X X
Addressing Requirements and Solution Options X X X X
Orchestrating Upgrades to SoS X X X
Lean Enterprise 4 Grand Questions mapped to SoSE core elements….
Lean Enterprise 4 Grand Questions mapped to DoD SoSE case studies….
SoSE Process Strategies:Engineering Cost Estimation
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System Capability
CS 1 SoSE contribution
effort
SoSE effort
Equivalent set of “sea-level” requirements
Conversion to COSYSMO size units
Calculations based on SoS characteristics/size and capability implementation approach using COSYSMO algorithm
CS n SoSE contribution
effort
• • •SoSEEffort
Applies reuse factors, different cost factors for each engineering organization at each system level, and diseconomy of scale for SoS and CS-level requirements implemented in the same upgrade cycle….
SoSE Process Strategies: Artifacts
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Capability Objectives
CONOPS
Information About
Systems which Impact
SoS
SoS Planning Elements
Risks and Mitigations
Requirements Space
SoS Architecture
Technical Baselines
Technical Plans
Integrated Master Schedule
Risks and Mitigations
SoS Master Plan
Performance Data
Performance Measures and Metrics
PerformanceData
AgreementsArtifacts that apply across the elements
Translating capability objectives Translating capability objectives
Translating capability objectives
Translating capability objectives Translating capability objectives
Addressing new requirements
& options
Addressing new requirements
& options
Addressingrequirements
& solution options
Addressing new requirements
& options
Addressing new requirements
& options
Understanding systems &
relationships(includes plans)
Understanding systems &
relationships(includes plans)
Understanding systems &
relationships
Understanding systems &
relationships(includes plans)
Understanding systems &
relationships(includes plans)
External Environment
Developing, evolving and maintaining
SoS design/arch
Developing, evolving and maintaining
SoS design/arch
Developing
SoS
Developing, evolving and maintaining
SoS design/arch
Assessing (actual)
performance to capability objectives
Assessing (actual)
performance to capability objectives
Assessing performance to capability objectives
Assessing (actual)
performance to capability objectives
Assessing (actual)
performance to capability objectives
Orchestrating upgrades
to SoS
Orchestrating upgrades
to SoS
Orchestrating upgrades
to SoS
Orchestrating upgrades
to SoS
Orchestrating upgrades
to SoS
Monitoring & assessing
changesMonitoring & assessing
changes
Monitoring & assessing
changes
Monitoring & assessing
changesMonitoring & assessing
changes
Translatingcapability objectives
Understandingsystems &
relationships
Orchestratingupgrades
to SoS
Addressingrequirements
& solutionoptions
AssessingperformanceTo capabilityobjectives
Monitoring& assessing
changes
Developing& evolving
SoS architecture
Requirements Space
Artifacts can be characterized as key boundary objects between SoS and constituent system levels…
SoSE Process Strategies: Test and Evaluation
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Key strategies• SoS-level testing builds on CS-
level testing• Use of test ranges and
operational testing• Evidence-based approach• Focus on
• SoS capabilities• Network • Interoperability
• Assessment of SoS performance over time
• Feedback process for fielded SoS
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Future SoSE Research Plans
Conduct deeper dives into• Lean lens analysis• Test and evaluation analysis• SoSE artifacts• SoS architecture evolution
SoSE cost model• Incorporate additional cost factors into COSYSMO to capture
additional SoS characteristics and non-traditional SE effort• Evaluate impacts of insufficient SE at SoS level on rework • Break out SoSE effort
• Planning• Implementation• SoS-level testing
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Acknowledgements
DoD Director, Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E)• Stevens-USC Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC)
support• SoS case study work that has provided considerable engineering
insights into SoSE
LAI for their research into lean enterprise concepts
Dr. Ricardo Valerdi’s pioneering work in the development of the COSYSMO cost model upon which the SoSE cost model is based
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Questions?
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References
1. Dahmann, J. and K. Baldwin. 2008. Understanding the current state of US defense systems of systems and the implications for systems engineering. Proceedings of the IEEE Systems Conference, April 7-10, in Montreal, Canada.
2. Department of Defense. 2008. Systems engineering guide for system of systems, version 1.0.
3. Maier, M. 1998. Architecting principles for systems-of-systems. Systems Engineering 1, no. 4: 267-284.
4. Valerdi, R. 2005. Constructive systems engineering cost model. PhD. Dissertation, University of Southern California.
5. Valerdi, R. and M. Wheaton. 2005. ANSI/EIA 632 as a standardized WBS for COSYSMO, AIAA-2005-7373, Proceedings of the AIAA 5th Aviation, Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference, Arlington, Virginia.
6. Wang, G., R. Valerdi, A. Ankrum, C. Millar, and G. Roedler. 2008. COSYSMO reuse extension, Proceedings of the 18th Annual International Symposium of INCOSE, The Netherlands.