Charles Wasson

• BSEE-MBA, Systems Engineering
• Consultant at Wasson Strategics, LLC

Systems Engineering, as an emerging discipline was transformed from the Engineering of Systems in the early 1950's to focus on Managing the Development of Systems with a new Systems Management approach. The transformation was initiated to resolve conflicts between Engineering and Management paradigms that contributed to failures in post-WWII comple...

In 2017, the author initiated a Systems Engineering (SE) Fundamentals Research Project to assess the “current state” of SE practice versus the “should be state” of the discipline of SE. Peer level Engineering often question and challenge SE as a domain of Engineering due to a lack of codified concepts, principles, and practices despite having a bod...

In the early 1950's the development of large, complex systems encountered two major challenges: (1) traditional Engineering methods were inadequate for coordinating and communicating designs and changes across multiple disciplines; and (2) projects were incurring unmanageable technical failures, cost overruns, and schedule slips. Exacerbating these...

Poor project performance is often attributed erroneously to PMs and SEs that must perform in an environment characterized by: • Inadequate proposal preparation and analytical due diligence in understanding the user's problem space and operational needs. • Unrealistic proposal assumptions and contract constraints – such as overly aggressive schedul...

In the early 1950's the development of large, complex systems encountered two major challenges: (1) traditional Engineering methods were inadequate for coordinating and communicating designs and changes across multiple disciplines; and (2) projects were incurring unmanageable technical failures, cost overruns, and schedule slips. Exacerbating these...

Enterprises continue to view and embrace MBSE as the future for Engineering, which is a good. However, the downside is they often ignore or refuse to learn how the System Engineering (SE) methods, which provide the MBSE infrastructure for its models. As technical professionals, engineers and teams become enamored with MBSE software tools, platforms...

This is the first Systems Engienering text to codify SE concepts, principles, and practices. Most "Systems Engineering" texts and handbooks, which are mislabeled as SE, cover only System Acquisition and Management, descriptions of SE activities, or equation-based Specialty Engineering - "ilities." This textbook presents a comprehensive, step-by-st...

This paper addresses the need for and proposes solutions to bolster the competency of the engineering professionals at two levels: 1) strengthen undergraduate and graduate level engineering education to include a robust Systems Engineering(SE) problem solving / solution development course and 2) shift the Systems Engineering paradigm found in many...

During the past several decades, numerous attempts have been made to capture and communicate the highly iterative and recursive characteristics of the System Engineering process via graphical models. Examples include: the US Army FM 770-78, USAF AFSCM 375-5, MIL-STD-499, IEEE 1220, et al. Models to date: 1) are often considered abstract and 2) fail...

Abstract: With the introduction of Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE), organizations sometimes view MBSE as a panacea that will overcome poor System Engineering practices and performance. The panacea resides in the belief that if: 1) you acquire a tool that complies with the Unified Modeling LanguageTM (UMLTM) and its System Engineering subset,...

System phases, modes, and states are often one of the most controversial concepts in System Engineering due to a lack of standards for implementation. Yet, the topic serves as one of the most critical guiding principles of System Engineering: Decompose system complexity into manageable levels and entities with acceptable risk that lead to optimal s...

The “engineering of systems” performed in many organizations is often characterized as chaotic, ineffective, and inefficient. Objective evidence of these characteristics is reflected in program performance metrics such as non‐compliance to requirements, overrun budgets, and late schedule deliveries. Causal analysis reveals a number of factors contr...

Abstract: Analysis of poor contract and program execution and performance are often traceable to a lack of system development knowledge by Program managers and Engineers. Yet, both disciplines will confidently tell you they are highly experienced. If so, then WHY we programs repeat the same mistakes over and over? This presentation: Introduces and...

Written in a practical, easy to understand style, this text provides a step-by-step guide to System Analysis and Engineering by introducing concepts, principles, and practices via a progression of topical, lesson oriented chapters. Each chapter focuses on specific aspects of system analysis, design, and development, and includes definitions of key...

Introduction Definition of a System Learning to Recognize Types of Systems Delineating Systems, Products, and Tools Precedented Versus Unprecedented Systems Analytical Representation of a System Systems That Require Engineering Summary General Exercises Organization Centric Exercises Reference Additional Reading

Introduction Key Elements of the Physical Domain Solution Developing the Physical Architecture Physical Domain Solution Development Methodology Linking the Behavioral and Physical Architectures Physical Domain Solution Challenges Physical Domain Solution Work Products Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises Ref...

Introduction Key Elements of the Behavioral Domain Solution Developing the Behavioral Architecture Behavioral Domain Solution Development Methodology Behavioral Domain Solution Development Challenges Guiding Principles Summary Note General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises References Additional Reading

Half Title Title Copyright Contents Preface Acknowledgements

Introduction System Design and Development Data Design Criteria List (DCL) and Data Accession List (DAL) SE and Development Documentation Sequencing Documentation Levels of Formality Export Control of Sensitive Data and Technology System Documentation Issues Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises References Ad...

Introduction Introducing the System Architecture Construct Introduction of the System Elements Understanding System Element Entity Relationships Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises References Additional Reading

Introduction Organizational System Roles System Role Context Understanding the Role of System Stakeholders Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises

Introduction Engineering Standards Engineering Standards for Weights and Measures Coordinate Systems Other Examples of Orientation Conventions Standard Atmospheres Applying Engineering Standards and Conventions to Programs Engineering Standards and Conventions Lessons Learned Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exerc...

Introduction Developing the Operational Architecture Operations Domain Solution Development Methodology Operations Domain Solution Development Challenges Operations Domain Solution Work Products Guiding Principles Summary Notes General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises References Additional Reading

Introduction Developing the Requirements Solution Architecture Requirements Solution Development Methodology Requirements Domain Solution Challenges Requirements Domain Solution Work Products Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises

Introduction Understanding the Analytical Context of Use Cases and Scenarios What Are Use Cases? Use Case Analysis Relating Use Cases to Specification Requirements Final Thoughts Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises Reference

Introduction System Life Cycle Overview System Life Cycle Phase Synopsis Life Cycles within Life Cycles System Transition Strategy and Sequencing Overview General Exercise Organizational Centric Exercise Additional Reading

Introduction System Introduction, Feasibility, and Affordability Operational Utility and Suitability Operational Effectiveness Cost Effectiveness Reality Check System Verification and Validation (V&V) Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises Reference Additional Reading

Introduction SE Roles and Responsibilities during Deployment Selection and Development of Operational Location Environmental Considerations during Deployment System Installation, Integration, and Checkout System Deployment Engineering Considerations Common System Deployment Challenges Guiding Principles Summary

Introduction What is an Architecture? Architectural Views of a System Centralized Versus Decentralized Control Architectures Fault Tolerant Architectures Types of Redundancies Error Correction Considerations Other Architectural Selection Considerations Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises References Addition...

Introduction Understanding How Requirements are Derived Requirements Derivation Methodology Applying the Requirements Derivation Methodology Requirements Allocation, Flow Down, and Traceability Requirements Traceability Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises

Introduction Mission Phases and Operations Understanding System Operational Applications Operational Cycles within Cycles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises

Introduction The System Element Architecture Construct System Element Interactions Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises References

Introduction Understanding Configuration Identification Semantics Aligning Items and Cis with the Specification Tree Assigning Ownership of Items and Cis Recognizing Types of Architectural Item Boundaries Multiple Instances of Ci Implementation Configuration Baselines Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises Ref...

Introduction Overview of MOE, MOS, MOP, and TPM Relationships Plotting Technical Performance Measurements (TPMS) TPM Challenges Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises References Additional Reading

Introduction Analyzing Existing Specifications Specification Analysis Dealing with Contract Specification Deficiencies Common Specification Deficiencies Clarifying and Resolving Specification Issues and Concerns Requirements Compliance and Conformance Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises

Introduction Understanding Operating Environment Opportunities Understanding the Problem Space Understanding the Solution Space(S) Exposure to Problem–Solution Spaces Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises Additional Reading

Introduction Performance “Design-To” Budgets and Safety Margins Analyzing System Performance Operational Tasking of a System Capability Understanding Statistical Characteristics of Tasking Applying Statistics to Multi-Task System Performance Applying Statistical Variations to Intra-Task Phases Mathematical Approximation Alternative Real-Time Contro...

Introduction Concept Overview Required Operational Capabilities Identifying and Deriving System Operational Capabilities Allocating and Flowing Down System Requirements Collecting System Element Requirements Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises

Introduction System Design Process Strategy Implementation of the System Design Process Implementing the System Design Process Strategy System Integration, Test, and Evaluation (Site) Strategy Implementing the Site Process Strategy Integrating System Design and Development Strategies Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centr...

Introduction Commonly Applied System Design Objectives Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises References

Introduction What is Analytical Decision Support? Attributes of a Technical Decision Types of Engineering Analyses System Performance Evaluation and Analysis Engineering Analysis Reports Engineering Report Format Analysis Lessons Learned Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises References Additional Reading

Introduction Organizational Missions within the Enterprise the System and Mission Capabilities Foundation Key Entities of Technical Accountability Understanding Organizational Roles and Missions Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises Additional Reading

Introduction Identifying and Analyzing Interface Interactions Generalized Versus Specialized Interface Design Solutions Applying the System Capability Construct to Interfaces Interface Design Methodology Specifying and Bounding System Interface Requirements Interface Ownership and Control Interface Design Documentation Interface Standardization Int...

Introduction System Development Verification and Validation Strategy Implementing the System Development Phase Applying V&V to the System Development Workflow Risk Mitigation with DT&E and OT&E Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises Referneces Additional Reading

Introduction Understanding the Variability of the Engineering Data Statistical Method Applications to System Development Understanding Test Data Dispersion Cumulative System Performance Effects Circular Error Probability (Cep) Data Correlation Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises Reference Additional Reading

Introduction Reducing System Costs and Risk Commercial Product Types Component Selection Methodology Driving Issues That Influence Cots/Ndi Selection Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises Additional Reading

Introduction the System Concept of Operations (Conops) the System Operations Model System Operations Model Description Developing a More Robust System Operations Model the Importance of the Generalized System Operations Model Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises

Introduction System Development Models the Waterfall Development Model the Evolutionary Development Model the Spiral Development Model the Incremental Development Model System Versus Component Development Strategies Guiding Principles Summary General Exercises Organizational Centric Exercises References Additional Reading