Systems of Systems Challenges and

Strategies Jo Ann Lane

jolane at usc.edu

March 2010

2

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

4

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

5

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

6

Increment m

Increment n-1

SoS SE Level*

Increment m+1

Increment n Increment n+1

SoSE Process Strategies: Incremental Commitment Model for SoS

7

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

8

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

9

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

10

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

11

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

12

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

13

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

14

Questions?

15

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.