PM Challenge2012

John A. ThomasPresident-Elect INCOSE (2012)

Senior Vice President & Chief System Engineer Booz Allen Hamilton

Gary L. Brown (Presenter)Program Manager, Constellation Technical Support Contract

Principal & Certified Chief Systems EngineerBooz Allen Hamilton

NASA PM Challenge 2012Orlando, Florida

February 2012

Technical Leadership is not Optional for System Engineers

A Call for Leadership

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PM Challenge2012

(System) Engineers with Moxie **

** C4ISR Journal, January 1 2010 “Commentary by John A. Thomas”

W A N T E D

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Three Roles Required for any Program to Succeed

Mgt Role

Build Component Role

Defn & Integration

Role

Executed by a Management TeamExecuted by a SE&I Team

Executed by Builder Teams

• System Engineer• Subject Matter Experts• Engineers & Scientists• Builder Representatives…

• Program Manager• System Engineer• Cost & Schedule Manager• Contracts Officer …

• Component Builder• Management Representatives

(Program Manager)• SE&I Representatives (System

Engineer …)

− The System Engineer is found in each Role −

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PM Challenge2012

Technical Interpreter of Requirements

Integration Manager& Strategist

Sets TechnicalVision and Standards

for Analysis

Correlates – Technical Scope with Work

Activities

Architect for RequirementsDriven Design

Arbitrator for Trades across Components

The Systems Engineer Serves As A Leader WhoBridges Within--And Translates Across--All 3 Teams

Brake

SE&I Team Build Component Teams

Management Team

Systems Engineer

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PM Challenge2012

System Engineer

Management Team

Build Component

TeamsSE&I Team

Leadership (As Exercised By The System Engineer) Is Critical To The Success Of Each Program Role

Remember the old saying – “If nobody is following, you ain’t leading” − What skills and experience will it take to lead within a dynamic like this? −

System Engineer – The leader of the SE&I Team

System Engineer – A leader partnering with the Build teams

System Engineer – A leader within the Management team

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PM Challenge2012

System Engineer

Management Team

SE As A Leader - Peer Within The Management Team …

The SE is an integral element of the decision making process balancing delivery risk against mission capability, cost, and schedule

The Systems Engineer must be knowledgeable in:

• Acquisition & Contract Management

• Technical & Schedule/Cost Management

• Conflict Management

• Decision Making Methods

• Real World and Life Cycle Support

To be influential, the Systems Engineer must be seen as:

• A leader who is influencing decisions deemed critical to users, investors, and implementers

• Resulting in acceptable risk of delivery in capability and performance within investment constraints

• … Whose technical voice is heard as differentiated counsel as a member of the management team

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PM Challenge2012

System Engineer

Build Component

Teams

SE as a Leader - Partner of the Build Teams …

The SE participates in (local and global) decision making processes, balancing constraints (as defined by contracts) of a builder and the needs of the system design

• The Systems Engineer must be knowledgeable in:

• Implications from allocation of system design to builder teams

• Internal dynamics/strengths/weaknesses within and across builder teams

• Limitations imposed by builder contracts

• Conflict management and communication techniques

• To be influential, the Systems Engineer must be seen as:

• A leader who is influencing component implementation decisions consistent with system baselines

• Resolving issues within the scope of the component implementation contracts

• … Leveraging the esteem of builders as an SE who is 1. technically competent; 2. thinks about the win/win; and 3. ensures equitable and fair treatment to all voices

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PM Challenge2012

System Engineer

SE&I Team

SE as a Leader - Visionary within the SE&I Team …

The SE leads decision making, trading requirements across the system and its interfaces -- resulting in an implementable, mission relevant capability

• The Systems Engineer must be knowledgeable in:

• Mission domain & mission operations

• Development lifecycles appropriate for the system and its components

• Design and integration methods

• Breadth of multi-disciplinary skills required to define, analyze, and build a system

• To be influential, the Systems Engineer must be seen as:

• A leader who is driving technical decisions in context with real world constraints

• Ensuring data (for contract packages and decision making) has integrity and consistency

• … Inspiring and focusing teams to produce and integrate data (technical and programmatic) within the timelines needed of program planning and execution cycles

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The Skills of a System Engineer are Critical for Moving Program Decisions Forward:

Depth as well as Multidisciplinary

Breadth

Critical Thinker, System Thinker,

Associative ThinkerAbility for Abstraction

Presence under Stress,Conflict Manager,Decision Maker, Communicator, Team builder,

Visionary, Mentor

Acquisition Planner, Contract Planner, Cost Estimator,

Schedule Estimator

Tailor Development Lifecycles,Knowledge of Technologies,

Knowledge of Mission,Knowledge of Domains

Functional

Programmatic Understanding

Leadership

Problem Solver

Environmental Understanding

Processes, Methods,

Techniques, Tools

Craftsman

Skills of aSystem Engineer with Moxie

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PM Challenge2012

Example of a System’s Problem That Required System Engineering Leadership to Resolve – Needed to Determine an Attitude Solution for Early Stages of ISS Assembly

ISS XVV Z-Nadir Attitude