RECAP – PART A – PROJECT MANAGEMENT

 What is the difference between a Project Schedule and a Project Plan

 What is Project Management

 What is Programme Management

 What is Portfolio Management

 What is the Link between Strategy and Projects

 How many Knowledge Areas are in PMBoK V6

 What is the difference between a Statement of Work and Scope of Work
 How many process groups are in this version | name them ?
 How many processes are in this version?

 Which three (3) KAs do you think are the most important and WHY?
 ----------------------------

 Did last semester PM lectures add value to your work?

 Any one interested in PMP certification
 “Though it is madness, there is a method in it…”
William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616, Hamlet

A. Project Management Processes

B. Overview of SE (Systems Thinking, Systems Approach, Hard & Soft)
C. Systems Engineering Frameworks | Methodologies
D. SE Processes (Concept Dev; Eng. Dev & Post Development)
E. System Engineering Applied | Implementation

Changing
the Mind-set
and
Approach to
Solving
Problems
CHECK IN What is on You Mind ?
How are you Felling Today?

Everyone Should Answer in

One or two Words:

For example:
• Brilliant
• Nervous
• Depressed
• Great
• Good to-Go
• Depressed
Sign – Class Register |
Class Rep _ Administer
and share
 “Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.”
—Albert Einstein

Thabani Mudavanhu
(Engineering and Project Management Professional )
03 August 2020 (17:15 – 19:15) – 120mins
Physics Room: SWE118/ MS Teams

Prepared by Thabani Mudavanhu for knowledge sharing purposes, 2018

 “Though it is madness, there is a method in it…”
William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616, Hamlet
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S)

1. What really is the Goal of this Course?

2. What is the difference between Systems Engineering and Traditional Engineering
Disciplines (e.g. Mechanical, Civil, Chemical, Electrical, Aeronautical, Industrial,
Software or Computer Engineering)?
3. What is the difference between the Functions of a Project Manager and a System
Engineer?
4. What really is Systems Engineering?
5. Where did this systems Engineering come from?
6. Why do we need Systems Engineering/ engineers? | Where can it be applied?
7. So what then are the characteristics of this Systems Engineer?
 “Though it is madness, there is a method in it…”
William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616, Hamlet
Q1: WHAT IS GOAL OF THIS COURSE?
A. To equip you with the necessary skills required for managing complexity
B. Change the way you approach, intervene, specify a solution or address problems
C. To leverage from the key pillars of the systems approach when managing your SoI
D. To teach you the special processes that systems engineers must know and execute on
E. To make you think like systems engineers
F. We also emphasize that leadership, problem solving and innovative skills are necessary
for success.

Students Learning
SE after mastering
the traditional
Discipline
Engineering often
find the subject
Abstract &
Ambiguous
The Systems Engineering Spectrum

Focus of the Course – Hard Systems then Soft Systems

Q2B: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND
IDNUSTRIAL ENGINEERING??
Systems engineering: Industrial engineering:
 Theoretical foundation is based on probability and
 Theoretical Foundation is based on systems thinking statistics; engineering economy; operations research
& the systems approach industrial psychology etc.
 The systems engineer job involves requirements
management; technical specification & management;  The industrial engineer’s (IE’s) job involves finding the
interface management; compatibility assurance & most effective way to produce a product or a service
management; verification and validation
 IE’s focus on making processes better; optimization – thus
 Focus is on design and addressing problems (solve; making those processes more efficient
resolve; dissolve) by intervention aimed at the whole –
the whole system
 Applicable to all systems but the full suite is more  Applicable to all systems, simple or complex
justified and applicable to highly complex products
(Just like RCM is in System Maintenance)

They are both interdisciplinary and have several overlaps

SYSTEMS ENGINERRING VIEWPOINT
 Making the central objective the system itself (as a whole)
 If faced with a conflicting subordinate objective, the systems engineer is always the
advocate of the position that advances the needs and purpose of total system(overall system)
 The principle focus is on the success of the overall mission (meeting requirements; its
successful operation in the field and a long useful operating life).
 It seeks to look beyond the obvious and the immediate, to understand the users problems,
and the environmental conditions that the system will be subjected to during its operation.
 Views performance as only one of several critical attributes (rather the SE approach seeks a
balance of the many critical attributes)
 It attempts to anticipate developmental problems and to resolve them as early as possible in
the development cycle, where this is not practicable, it establishes contingency plans.
 All in all it includes a combination of risk taking and risk mitigation
BEST SYSTEM

Example of a High Speed

F1 Car
 BEST SYSTEM
An artistic conception of what a
guided missile will look like if it
were designed by various
specialists
Here is the key:
1. The Systems Engineer must
always focus on the whole
system
2. The systems engineer must
always reflect and align to the
customer requirements
3. The systems engineer must
always take into consideration
the context
4. Guide the development so that
each of the component receives
the proper balance of attention
and resources
 BEST SYSTEM
An artistic conception of what a
guided missile will look like if it
were designed by various
specialists
Here is the key:
1. The Systems Engineer must
always focus on the whole Systems
system
2. The systems engineer must Engineer –
always reflect and align to the the “Honest
customer requirements
3. The systems engineer must
Technical
always take into consideration Broker?”
the context
4. Guide the development so that
each of the component receives
the proper balance of attention
and resources
REAL
A SYSTEMS ENGINEERING BALANCED VIEWPOINT _ SUMMARY
A S/Eng ensures that no system is allowed to grow at the expense of an
equally important or more important attribute for example;
A. Greater performance at the expenses of acceptable costs
B. High speed at the expense of adequate range
C. High throughput at the expense of excessive errors .
D. Publicity at the expense of integrity
E. Production at the expense of sustainability
F. Short term gains at the expensive sustainability
EXAMPLES?
 This kind of judgement is what the systems engineer has to exercise
everyday, and they must be able to think at a level that encompasses all of
the system characteristic's
A SYSTEMS ENGINEERING APPROACHES / MODELS – A SNAP SHOT

a. Linear Model b. Waterfall Model

a. V- Model d. Spiral Model

 Quiz

• System • System Acquisition

• Systems Hierarchy • Requirements Analysis
• System Life Cycle • Technical Requirement Management
• Systems Building Blocks • Functional Analysis & Design
• Systems Interfaces • Prototype Development (why do this?)
• The System Environment • Concept Development
• SEMP • Component Design
• System of Interest (SoI) • Design Validation
• Complex System (CxS) • System Integration
• System of Systems (SoS) • System Testing
• Enterprise Systems • Operational Test and Evaluation /
• Enterprise Systems Engineering TEMP
• Concept of Operation (ConOps) • In- service Support
• Concept Definition • Post Development SE
• Systems Modelling Language (Sys.ML) + UML
Systems Engineering
* Definition _ Unpacked
Systems Classification
SoS (super system)

system

Sub-system

NB/ for the purposes of this lecture lets limit the term
Component system to those entities that:
1. Possess the properties of an engineered system and
Sub- 2. Perform a significant useful service with only the aid of human
component operators and standard infrastructures (e.g.… power grid, highways,
fuel stations)
Part
 N OR K Quiz

Question:

• Draw the System Hierachy of the

Judicial Court System in SA
SYSTEMS HIERARCHY EXPLAINED
 A System can be broadly defined as an integrated set of elements that accomplish a defined
objective.
The objective of the Systems Engineering process is to create a final product which is a system.
Elements are the building blocks of a systems, and are not just hardware but can also include software,
and can even include personnel, facilities, policies, documents and databases. A system is made up of
combinations of elements. A system can be divided into a hierarchy of sets of elements that include
subsystems, components, subcomponents and parts.
 A Subsystem is a system in its own right, except it normally will not provide a useful function
on its own, it must be integrated with other subsystems to make a system.
Therefore, interfaced or connecting subsystems are required to make-up the system. In the literature a
particular subsystem may be called either a "subsystem" or a "system"; this is often simply a naming
choice made by the project manager or the systems engineer. For example, NASA named the orbiter,
external tank and solid rocket boosters (SRB) the Space Transport System (STS) The orbiter itself is
called a system (although it is a subsystem of the STS), which itself has subsystems for avionics, thermal
protection, etc. Normally, the orbiter needs the other two subsystems (external tank plus SRBs) to be
launched, but it had been launched as a glider from a 747 (albeit this was for testing purposes at the
time rather than a purposeful mission). In the same way, the SRBs can be used to launch a small useful
payload all by itself. Although you might not think it, an astronaut could be called a subsystem.
SYSTEMS HIERARCHY EXPLAINED
 Components are elements that make up a subsystem or system, may be Commercial Off-The-
Shelf (COTS) and are adaptable to a particular set of specifications. COTS motors,
microcontrollers, solenoids and gearboxes are components.
 Parts are elements on the lowest level of the hierarchy, and are often COTS, but may need to
be designed and manufactured for special applications. Bolts, gears, clamps, resistors, shafts,
bearings, etc. fall into this category, as could software that is a "part" in a microcontroller (a
component) in a Command and Data Handling System. (Note: The software development
process is not considered in this presentation).
SYSTEMS HIERARCHY APPLIED
 T OR A Quiz

Question:

• Draw the System Hierachy of the

Education System in SA
 Building blocks – are the main pillars that are used by systems engineers to visualize system interactions at
a high level.
 Why use system building blocks ?

 It’s a simple method of partitioning a system along functional and physical dimensions
 Helps understand the functional aspects of the system and then partition he system into a physical hierarchy
 May help define the nature of the interfaces
 May help in visualising the architecture
 May so help in the technology appropriate for implementation and possible alternatives

SEs are expected to understand and work with fundamental building blocks for engineering systems,
regardless of the specific life-cycle methodology used.
 SE are expected to define systems conceptually, transform user needs into system requirements, and develop and assess
architectures.
 They are expected to compose and assess alternative design and development approaches; develop test and certification
strategies; monitor and assess contractor efforts in design, development, integration, and test; and assist with field deployment,
operations, and maintenance.
 Information (the content of all knowledge and communication)

 Signal Elements _ those that sense and communicate information

 Data Elements _ those that interpret; organise and manipulate information for analysis and decision making

 Material (the substance of all physical objects)

 Those which provide structure and transformation of materials

 Energy (Energizes the operation and movement of active system components)

 Those which provide energy and motive power

When architecting a System of Interest (SoI) _ ask these questions?:

1. What information flows are the happening?
2. What elements are providing structure and are transforming materials?
3. What is energizing the operation and movement of activity systems components?
Fundamentally, the functional
design of any system may be
defined by conceptually
combining & interconnecting
the identified functional
elements along with perhaps
one or two specialised
elements

Note/
Its should be noted that the
above classification is not
absolute, but is established
solely to provide a systematic
and logical framework for
discussing the properties of
systems at the levels of
importance to a system
engineer.
 System physical building
blocks are the are the
physical representation of
the of the functional
elements consisting of
hardware and software.
These are classified into
six (6) classes by
materials of construction:
1) Electronic
2) Electro-optical
3) Electromechanical
4) Mechanical
5) Thermomechanical
6) Software
THE SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENT
What is the System Environment?
‘Everything outside of a system that interacts with the system”
 As such this forms the basis of a system’s requirements;
 Hence it is important at the outset of system, development to identify and specify all that interacts
with the system and its environment interacts.
 It is the responsibility of the S-Engineer to understand these interactions to ensure all Rqmts are
captured
Why System Boundaries?
‘To precisely identify the environment in which a system operates. That is to define what is
inside the system and what is outside?” Examples include;
 Users
 Support systems
 Shipping, storage and handling systems
 Weather and other physical environments
 Threats
WHAT DO YOU THINK A TYPICAL POWER STATION WOULD LOOK LIKE TODAY IF THE
ENGINEERS OF THE 1930’S APPLIED SYSTEMS ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT ?

Congela Power Station – Commissioned 1928 | one of the first power stations in SA
 Context Diagrams:

 This is a diagram that shows the boundaries, information flows and energy sources for the
SoI (the system under consideration).

 A Context Diagram (and a Data Flow Diagram (DFD) for that matter) provides no information
about the timing, sequencing, or synchronization of processes such as which processes
occur in sequence or in parallel. Therefore it should not be confused with a flowchart or
process flow which can show these things.

 Some of the benefits of a Context Diagram are:

 Shows the scope and boundaries of a system at a glance including the other systems that interface
with it
 No technical knowledge is assumed or required to understand the diagram
 Easy to draw and amend due to its limited notation
 Easy to expand by adding different levels of DFDs
 Can benefit a wide audience including stakeholders, business analyst, data analysts, developers
This tool effectively displays the external entities and their interactions with
the system and instantly allows the reader to identify those external entities

Vivian

For every system if interest (SoI)

This tool effectively displays the external entities and their interactions with
the system and instantly allows the reader to identify those external entities

Peo

For every system if interest (SoI)

 “Though it is madness, there is a method in it…”
THE SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENT William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616, Hamlet

INTERFACES AND INTERACTIONS

Interfaces are a critical systems engineering concern.
 As the referred to interactions all occur at various boundaries of the system.
 Such boundaries are called interfaces | Internal or Externals Boundaries
 The definition and control of these interfaces is the responsibility of the systems engineer
 Proper interface control is crucial for successful system operation

Key Learnings:
A major theme of Systems Engineering is therefore the management of these interfaces, which
includes;
a. Identification and description of interfaces as parts of system concept definition
b. Coordination and control of interfaces to maintain system integrity during engineering
development, production and subsequent system enhancements
 “Though it is madness, there is a method in it…”
THE SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENT William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616, Hamlet
INTERFACES AND INTERACTIONS
To systemize the identifications of external and internal interfaces, it is convenient to
distinguish between different types
a. Connectors: which facilitate the transmission of electricity, fluid, force and so on,
between components
b. Isolators: which inhibit such interactions
c. Convertors: which alter the form of the interaction medium. These interfaces are
embodied in component parts or subcomponents

Think of
WITs as a
System
When architecting a System of Interest (SoI) _ ask these questions?:
1. What are the Connectors?
2. What are the Isolators?
3. What are the Convertors?
 “Though it is madness, there is a method in it…”
COMPLEX SYSTEMS William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616, Hamlet

 Scale of Systems:

o Ordinary Systems (OS) – for example a motor vehicle wheel (a fairly simple system that can be
satisfactorily treated as autonomous is less complex and more deterministic) with a few
subsystems which include the bearing, rim and the tyre. These systems are normally
manageable and decomposable (Sheard, 2011)

o System of Systems (SoS) – These have a (are) system integrator(s) (Sheard, 2011). Examples
include windows operating system, a military mission, the justice system, a university etc. As
such SoS are more complex and less deterministic than ordinary systems. It follows that for a
SoS to exist there has to be a whole, for example a transport system would bring together the
metro rail, underground rail system (Gautrain), buses and taxicabs.
 “Though it is madness, there is a method in it…”
COMPLEX SYSTEMS William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616, Hamlet

o Complex Systems (CxS) – “…a system with self-organisation analogous to natural systems, that grows without
explicit control, and is driven by multiple locally operating, social technical processes, usually involving adaption
(Braha et al, 2006 as cited by Sheard, 2011). Distinguishing attributes of CxS include operational and managerial
independence of the elements or the constituent systems (Maier, 1996: 567-574). The other attribute is the
geographic extent of the component systems is large for example a tanker in a military mission could be 30km away
from while a fighter jet or a ground-force battalion. Examples of such systems include human civilisation, a
military mission (which is SoS) it follows a complex system (CxS) can be a SoS and the opposite is always true – a
SoS is complex, (Sheard, 2011)

o Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) – A form of system containing many autonomous agents who self-organize in a
co-evolutionary way to optimise their separate values, Lucas (2006). Examples include an activist group e.g. the
green movement, nation governments or political parties. It is important to note that this complexity status changes
all the time as such systems are dynamic. Complexity is relative, when we understand something; we no longer see
it as complex or chaotic (Gharajedaghi, 2006:114).
 “Though it is madness, there is a method in it…”
William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616, Hamlet
COMPLEX SYSTEMS
Categorises of Complexity as

1.Structural Complexity looks at the system elements and relationships.

2.Dynamic Complexity considers the complexity which can be observed when systems
are used to perform particular tasks in an environment.

3.Socio-political Complexity considers the effect of individuals or groups of people on

complexity.

Thus, complexity is a measure of how difficult it is to understand how a system will behave or
to predict the consequences of changing it.
 “Though it is madness, there is a method in it…”
William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616, Hamlet
COMPLEX SYSTEMS
Some characteristics of Complex System were synthesised from
literature are (Lucas, 2006; Sheard, 2011):
• Systems evolve by adaptation, cooperation and competition
• All complex systems include aspects of simpler systems
• They are inefficient
• The geographic distribution (is sometimes large)
• All complex systems are dynamic and they self-organise.
• They have enough flexibility to communicate and adapt
• They have the property of emergence in nature.
Emergent property: A property of a system as whole which cannot be completely
attributed to any particular part of that system | e.g. The pungent ammonia – a product of
the odourless Hydrogen and Nitrogen
SEM _ KEY REFERENCES BOOKS

• TBC

As an emerging domain, Systems Engineering is not a well

documented subject
Don’t despair _ pay attention in class and refer primarily to
your notes.