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Defence Engineering Group Systems Engineering Team - University College London - 04/18/23

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Systems Engineering in Academia

How can Academia contribute to Industry?

Is Industry exploiting academic support?

Scene Setting Presentation to Academic SessionAutumn Assembly, INCOSE UKSwindon, 6, 7 November 2000

by

Prof. Peter Sydenham UCL

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The Key Role of a Systems Engineer

Science determines- ‘What is’

Component (or Detail) Engineering determines-

‘What can be’

Systems Engineering determines-

‘What should be’

- and has to cope with and manage Complexity

Buede (2000)

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This seems to sum up the task of SE

From ‘Signs that say what you want them so say ……’

Gillian Wearing. 1992-1993, Tate Gallery. Passer-bys were asked to write a sign.

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“The Systems Engineer attempts to predict the consequences of his/her systems operation”

ENGINEERING EDUCATION: April 1970 - FromInternational Science and Technology, Nov 1964

SEDept

Why we are here? Words from 1964!

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2. Newlygraduated Detail Engineer

3. MatureUniversityLeader -followingoptimal career path

4. Requirement forexperienced SystemsEngineer

The Knowledgeand ExperienceTee Diagram

Depth of detail

Breadth of topics

1. T diagram legend

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ENGINEERING EDUCATION: April 1970 – Cartoon From International Science and Technology, Nov 1964

“A systems engineer is a good engineer - only more so”

Summed up – again back in 1964!

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Complexity

What is meant by Complexity in SE?

Not so much how many sub-elements exist in system (i.e. like a VLSI chip) but evident when system:- Has large number of inter-relationships Number of interfaces between nodes is large Dynamic flows through interfaces are rapid Flows in human system comms hard to formalise Human cognition in high demand Level of cognition high in the many knowledge flows Degree of chaos high

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Hard Versus Soft Thinking Cultures

We think according to cultures we have experienced

‘Reductionist’ (hard) versus ‘phenomenological’ (soft) thinking attitudes need addressing in academic programs of teaching and research and in applications

BOTH essential to SE advancement – hard (depth) is the easiest to pursue and feel comfortable with. Soft needs breadth of understanding

Consider the following picture to see how you view life when confronted with a technical like system

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Are you a ‘Hard’ or ‘Soft’ thinker?

Arthur’s sculpture “Fertilization of Drako Vulen’s Cheese Pizza” 1975 Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Do you instinctively - 1. Look for and question its engineering detail – or 2. Look for the deep appreciation of what it expresses as a vision, mood, portrayal, etc?

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Mind and Body ProblemProblem with Cartesian dualism is still that

mental and physical worlds seem so different

Physical world consists of material objects which existin space and time and obeycertain laws that can be established by physics

Mental world is populatedwith thoughts which seem to be outside of space and time and which are subjective, private and unique to each individual

Yet these two comprise our SE systems!

From Robinson and Garret

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The world I live inthinks like me!

‘Systems Engineer Thinking’(Assumes ‘Closed System’)

Damn these bugs!

‘Rest of World Thinking’(As an ‘Open System’)

The Cultural and Stove-pipeCommunication Problem

BUT DOES IT?

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Real Complex Systems Problems

TransdisciplinaryTeams

Complex Problem Solving Needs the Right Perspectives

SE

(After Lawson)

1. $ bottom line driven

Degree of Dissent on Solution

Deg

ree

of U

nce

rtai

nty

in S

olu

tion

Qualities Needed to Solve Problems•Communications•Learning•Conflict resolution•Common experience•Transdisciplinary•Helmsmanship•Followship•Patience•Withhold judgement•Open Systems Thinking•Think broadly•Be in secure situation

Viewpoint is all important!

2. Precedent Systems

4. Really tough systems

3. Realistic simpler systems

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Importance of People

People are the heart of the

engineering of systems. They either:- make it all develop as they pull together not develop at all well due to silo (stove-pipe) attitudes do it inefficiently as they work in a state of chaos

Soft Systems are not given enough applied research attention in seeking to improve SE practices

The ‘Pragmatic SE Teaming’ Model shows the need for better understanding of how to share knowledge in multi-team situations

Designers are networking knowledge; these flows are not well understood re the optimisation of flows

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Needs Statement

Brain For each team

Brain(s) in

Overall Control

Output Product to Customer’s Need

Pragmatic Teaming Model

Real time Interfaces,many and vital

Mission:Teams work inunison toward fastest, right,solution

Knowledge and data flows between teamsall the time

SE leadership

Customer’s Need as Input

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Some Unhelpful Sayings About Academia

‘But that’s academic’ Isn’t intellectual thought relevant to the real world anymore

‘Academics are naïve about real SE’Yet UK academic SE leaders are well steeped in reality

‘Staff advancement is not helped by getting a

postgraduate SE qualification’

‘A PhD does not help career advancement in SE’

‘SE is not suited for PhD theses’ but look at the situation in many leading non-engineering enterprises

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Value of Education and Training

According to the US National Center Report on the ‘Educational Quality of the Workforce, Jan 1999 A 10% increase in Capital Stock yields a 3.4% increase in

national productivity. A 10% increase in Work Hours yields a 5.6% increase in

national productivity. A 10% increase in Education yields an 8.6% increase in

national productivity.

Education is currently funded in US at about 1.5% of national revenue so a 10% increase can yield increased national revenue of 8.6%

That is a value-adding amplification factor of up to 57x. (8.6% increase for 0.15% investment)

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Scope of Curriculum

SE Curriculum currently not that well driven by enduring basics; more by pragmatics that capture current practice well but do not develop minds for new solution generation

Will not assist maturity of growth of SE but propagate and prolong thinking of present ways

INCOSE ‘Systems Engineering Educational Environment’ study shows need for much different

delivery of SE education to the courses currently on offer

See [www.incose.org/index.emwg]

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What SE Research is Needed?Independent major studies (of around 1998) have

investigated what industry says it needs researched INCOSE US (Buede) – 200+ areas; mainly US; well

documented; used as basis of SECOE project SERF Report (Foresight/ Boardman) – 100+ areas; UK

survey of depth; published as matrix table Sydenham project list; 50+ with abstracts; personal ideas

Result of the surveys; support has NOT been that forthcoming from Industry for any of the areas!

• Significant Observation: Few are of interest to typical Engineering schools for not ‘engineering’ but need much support of other disciplines- who equally are not interested as it is seen as ‘engineering’

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Taking Stock of Academic Activity

No worthy study yet done for UK Presented here is a personal

feeling for the situation to give an

overall impression Need to carry out careful audit of

UK SE academic effort as part of a nationally integrated approach to understanding what is in the cupboard now and what should be there.

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Some Recent Key UK Initiatives

Foresight Panel in Aerospace and Defence Systems SERF and IEE Reports from above STEFFIE SE network initiative to integrate stakeholders better Ongoing National Advisory Committees after Foresight Various new MSc courses INCOSE UK Chapter and its annual events INCOSE UK Technical initiatives IEE and RAeS initiatives SEDRES data exchange Fourth Framework project

Overall have these given the UK their fullest potential?

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University Constraints on SE Campus Development

There is little dissent on what are the Academic Campus constraints on development of robust SE groups Lack of acceptance of SE as a ‘worthy’ area by colleagues Or – every group is in SE! Lack of acceptance a discipline Less than critical-mass SE Academic Groups cannot drive

campus and government politics re resource flows No adequate career path for younger academics exists with

result we are not forming SE academic leaders for near time successions of people, or with the academic culture needed for success in academic growth

Too little support given to new leadership appointments and succession planning

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Benefits to Industry from Academia

Medium to long term development, underpinning and maintenance of SE body of Knowledge

Formation and flow of suitable staff and their ongoing education

Consultants on call New ideas for better engineering of systems More effective use of government funds to support

industry via this work (as do other sectors) Critical review of how best to engineer systems

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UK SE Uni. Groups – 2005 Potential

Professorial Full Chairs – 25 (10 personal) Staff numbers – 400 inc. visiting appointments Students per annum in SE awards

Undergrads - 200, Postgrad Coursework – 100 in 10 locations Research (MPhil and PhD) – 200

Grants - £50m p.a. Publications (in SE) - 200 supporting generic SE Conferences and seminars – 10 (5 recurrent) Short courses – 50 (some as part of degrees) 20 major areas supported (20 people interacting on each) 100 visiting staff from other places

Overall this is a real support force for SE Stakeholders - and not dissimilar to that commonly enjoyed by major areas like telcos, software, etc.

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Where Are We Today C’W 1970?

The April 1970 issue of US journal ‘Engineering Education’ was a special on ‘Systems Engineering’. 12 papers reviewed the facets of SE at that time – it is revealing to compare then and now

We have possibly gone backwards Less universities involved nowDepth and extent of debate on SE needs is less nowThe size of University Groups has diminished markedly

UK has always lagged US in terms of extent of overt philosophy, education and practice related to SE - but both still do it well! We appear to be re-inventing a worse wheel Stakeholders give less support now Campus support for SE has not improved Campus leadership did not set up growth and succession for its SE staff

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Need for Plan for Developing National SE Academic Support

Current UK initiatives do not appear to have recognized need for development of critical-mass Academic groups that mature quickly to become mature robust entities

A national enterprise plan that works to make the UK a major ‘Engineering of Systems’ nation would allow better targetting of resources

INCOSE/ IEE/DERA/Academia etc. should be directing effort to this end as a joint effort for the good of the nation

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The Speakers

We are pleased to have so many experts here to address us. This augers well for this session

Their presentation time is quite restricted; they will give us food for thought and then join in the debate

Our appreciations are extended to them for:- Working so well and easily with the conveners Being messed around with orders, instructions and deadlines Sending in all that was asked of them Being here to make good contribution

This session also acts as a test run for the Academic Forum of the 2001 Symposium in Melbourne in July.

1 Defence Engineering Group Systems Engineering Team - University College London - 5/8/2015 DEG-SET...

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