Timothy L.J. Ferris

Resilience principles for engineered systems

This paper examines a set of abstract, top-level principles and subprinciples collected from the literature to determine their usefulness in enabling the avoidance, survival, and recovery from disruptions caused by threats of various sources. The principles are compared to concrete solutions recommended by domain experts in various case studies and to the actual events in those case studies. Also examined are the limitations, conflicts, and vulnerabilities that may be apparent when concrete solutions are created from these principles. The systems considered are physical, organizational, and procedural systems. Examples include cases from fire protection, aviation, railways, and power distribution domains. Threats examined include terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and human and design error. Each principle is found to apply to different phases of the disruption cycle surrounding an encounter with a threat. It is found that principles, in general, cannot be applied singly to a system but must be combined with other principles to enable resilience. System developers in various domains can use the principles to create concrete solutions to characterize a particular system, model that solution, and determine the degree of recovery of the system from a specified threat. ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 16

The concept of leap in measurement interpretation

This paper discusses a problem in the way people think about measurement. This problem is analyzed using the tool of an Object Oriented Model of Measurement, developed in the paper, which is related to the Representational Theory of Measurement but includes alters or extends the tenets of that theory. It is concluded that all measurement involves a leap of decision concerning the model of analysis of the observed which is to be employed, and in addition information processing often involves a leap from the algorithmically derivable to useful conclusions about the observed as sought through the measurement process.

Tool selection process and its management for small and medium enterprises in defence projects

To be self-reliant and competitive in winning and maintaining defence contracts, the Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) need to improve their systems capability. By systems capability it is meant effectual use of sound systems engineering (SE) processes and effective use of SE tools. Unlike most large organisations, the Australian SMEs have not widely employed SE processes and tools in their work. It appears that the current SE software tools do not effectively aid SMEs with their work and that tool supplierspsila marketing does not specifically target SMEs. To aid SMEs in boosting their systems capability, thereby enabling them to effectively obtain and maintain defence contracts, this work, as part of an on-going research on a framework for tool selection for SMEs in defence, attempts to define a tool selection process and its management. This paper describes the current situation of the Australian SMEs and the issues they are facing with in regards to SE tools. It also proposes the requirements for a tool selection process for SMEs and the management of this process. Finally it discusses the initial findings of the on-going research.

Systems engineering process standardization and cultural diversity

Systems engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the development of large complex systems, managing both the design processes and the design of the systems. As such systems engineering has both a technical and a managerial focus. SE originated during the 1950s as a means to address the problems presented by large and consequently high risk US government acquisitions. The approaches described in the 1950s were largely broad guidelines for the approach to engineering projects. In later decades an approach to systems engineering which codified the processes through the use of detailed standards such as MIL-STD-499 became prevalent. These standards codified process for the execution of projects from a set of assumptions valid in the community which wrote the standards. The success of SE methodology in the US in improving the probability of project success has led people in other countries, with quite different cultures to apply the process centric SE standards in the hope of improving outcomes. This paper explores some specific matters related to Chinese culture to illustrate limitations in the use of copying process centric standards from one context to another, and explores means by which the field of concern oriented approach of the ISO15288 SE standard can enable development of appropriate SE methodology in diverse cultures and to enable cooperation in projects involving teaming across cultural boundaries.

Enabling Systems Engineering Program Outcomes via Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge

Abstract With the ever-increasing complexity of systems, it is important to properly educate the upcoming systems engineering workforce. The Graduate Reference Curriculum for Systems Engineering (GRCSE) provides guidelines for graduate program degrees in systems engineering. GRCSE establishes a baseline set of entrance expectations, objectives, outcomes and content for any graduate degree in systems engineering. GRCSE recognizes that each university needs to meet the needs of their constituents, and for this purpose, GRCSE only defines 50% of the program content, and leaves the other 50% to be defined by individual universities to satisfy the needs of their stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to introduce GRCSEs outcomes, and how those outcomes can be attained through the program content.

Technology and knowledge sharing strategy in systems engineering practice performed by Indonesian expatriate engineers

Systems engineering practice performed by Indonesian expatriate engineers involves intra-project-team cultural diversity. In culturally diverse project teams, one of the key success factors in project performance is technology and knowledge sharing. This paper identifies elements of how technology and knowledge sharing work performed in systems engineering practices is influenced by cross-cultural adaptation in multicultural work environments. We interviewed 18 Indonesian engineers working outside Indonesia in multicultural teams, about the implementation of systems engineering practices in their experience and their knowledge of cross-cultural adaptation. The results indicate three factors that influence the technology and knowledge sharing strategy in culturally diverse project teams: communication; authority perception; and staff development strategy.

Work in process: A Body of Knowledge and Curriculum to Advance Systems Engineering (BKCASE™)

This paper reviews the progress and content of the Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge (SEBoK) and the Graduate Reference Curriculum for Systems Engineering (GRCSE™) products being developed as part of the Body of Knowledge and Curriculum to Advance Systems Engineering (BKCASE™) project initiated in September 2009. The version 0.25 of each product was released for limited review in fall 2010; version 0.5 of each product will be released for public review in fall 2011; and final version 1.0 of each product are due out in fall 2012. This paper reviews how these products differ from and build upon existing products, and recounts lessons learned after the first 15 months on the project.

Validation Studies of a Questionnaire Developed to Measure Students’ Engagement With Systems Thinking

The purpose of this paper was to develop and validate a new theoretically based scale to measure students’ learning of systems thinking in relation to the affective domain in the context of systems engineering education. Two variant questionnaires are reported here, one using only questions constructed using positive grammar and the other using a mix of positive and negative constructs, each applied to a different sample. The first group of 186 participants completed the positive version of the questionnaire, and, the second group of 163 completed the mixed version. Construct validity was examined through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). EFA was conducted to find the factors underlying each questionnaire. CFA was conducted to confirm the better questionnaire version and to confirm the factors which underlie both versions. The results indicate that a three factor, 16 item, scale with a mix of positive and negative wording is the better instrument with which to measure students’ engagement with systems thinking. The results also indicate that the three factor, 16 item construct is a better representative of both versions of the questionnaire, whether the questionnaire has only positive questions or a mix of positive and negative questions.

Churchman and Measurement

Churchman’s main contribution to the theory of measurement flows from bringing together the work of a number of scholars. This action brought a multidisciplinarity to the theory of measurement that was new, and led to many later scholars viewing measurement more holistically than was previously the case. “In both the UK and USA, scientists from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds came together during the second World War to support the planning of military operations. They mainly applied mathematical modelling techniques to find optimal solutions to complex problems. Churchman (1987) provides a typical example: he describes how he applied mathematics to the problem of determining an optimal quality control procedure in the manufacture of ammunitions. After the war some OR [operations researchers] continued to work in defence, but most went into civilian positions in the public and private sectors…First OR came to be seen as largely synonymous with ‘management science’. (Midgley, 2004:4). But this is no longer the case as critical questioning has become central to both better risk management and greater accountability.

Undergraduate Students’ Engagement With Systems Thinking: Results of a Survey Study

This paper describes the results obtained for the affective engagement of students with systems thinking (ST). In prior work, the authors have developed and validated a questionnaire instrument for measuring affective engagement of undergraduate engineering students with ST. This paper presents results obtained when the questionnaire was used with undergraduate students. Two surveys with different versions of the questionnaire, one using positive grammar questions only and the other using a mix of positive and negative constructs, were used to measure the students’ engagement with ST and its relationship with gender, age, and work experience. Each questionnaire version was applied to a different sample, the first, 186 participants, completed the positive grammar version, and, the second group of 163 completed the mixed version. The results show that participants in both studies valued ST in each of the three dimensions of the ST construct. Statistical tests confirmed no significant gender differences in either study. Student engagement with the practical dimension of ST was shown to vary, with statistical significance, with groups of age, years of work experience, and country of the university.