Module 2

System Life Cycle

 System Life Cycle
 Parties involved
 Activities in Acquisition & Utilization Phases
GENERIC SYSTEM LIFE CYCLE

‘‘A system has a life.

It is brought into being, used and
then disposed of when
no longer serves its purpose.’’
Generic System Life Cycle
can be divided into 4 very broad phases:
Pre-acquisition
Acquisition Phase Utilization Phase Retirement Phase
Phase

each of which builds on the results of the

preceding phase or activity
system life cycle  the sum of all these activities
Pre-Acquisition Phase
beginning of the life cycle
early business needs are confirmed and
supported by a business case
ensures that only feasible, cost-effective projects
are taken forward to acquisition
Pre-acquisition
Acquisition Phase Utilization Phase Retirement Phase
Phase
Acquisition Phase
focused on bringing the system into being and into the
service of the organization
system is defined in terms of: business requirements,
stakeholder requirements, and system requirements
a contractor is then engaged to develop/deliver the
system

Pre-acquisition
Acquisition Phase Utilization Phase Retirement Phase
Phase
Utilization Phase
the system is operated and supported
the system may undergo a number of modifications and
upgrades to:
rectify performance shortfalls
meet changing operational requirements
enhance current performance or reliability

Pre-acquisition
Acquisition Phase Utilization Phase Retirement Phase
Phase
Retirement Phase
the business has no further need for the system
the system can no longer meet the functions
required of it by the organization
no longer cost-effective to keep it in service

Pre-acquisition
Acquisition Phase Utilization Phase Retirement Phase
Phase
 PARTIES INVOLVED
Enterprise/business management
Project management
Systems engineering
Operations
The Customer Organization
Enterprise Business Operations
management Management Element
• sets the • responsible • conduct
direction for for the activities
the formulation • run by the
organization of activities operators
• assign tasks (users)
to BM
Project Management
Project
Acquisition Element Support Element
Management
• aka the acquirer • supported by: • supports the
(or tasking systems engg, operators in their
activity) requirements operation of the
• under the engg, specialist system
auspices of a engg disciplines, • supports, sustains,
project quality and maintains the
(managed by assurance, and system thru its life
PM) integrated
logistic support
Other stakeholders
Other Stakeholders
Supplier Contractor
within the Org.
• aka performing • supply or • include
activity development is representatives
• may deliver the undertaken from the
system off-the- outside the org management,
shelf or may • responsible for financial,
develop it in- supplying operations,
house (referred (perhaps by supply,
to as the designing and maintenance,
developer) developing) the and facilities
system areas
Responsibility of the Parties Involved
 ACTIVITIES IN ACQUISITION
AND UTILIZATION PHASES
Systems engineering is predominantly related to the
Acquisition Phase of the system life cycle and, to a
lesser extent, the Utilization Phase.

ase Acquisition Phase Utilization Phas

Detailed Design Construction
Conceptual Preliminary Operational Use and
and and/or
Design Design System Support
Development Production
Conceptual Design
formal transition from the business world to the
project world; i.e., from the mission statement to
complete logical and physical description of the SOI
ensures proper definition of the system requirements
ensures appropriate engagement with business
managers and upper-level stakeholders
Detailed
Design and
Conceptual Preliminary Development
Design Design Construction
and/or
Conceptual Design
Business Needs and Requirements (BNR) – are
articulated and conformed by business management
– are elaborated by stakeholders at the operations
level into a set of Stakeholder Needs and
Requirements (SNR)
Conceptual Prelim
SNR are elaborated by requirements Design Des
engineers into system requirements
in the System Requirement
BNR SNR SyRS
Specifications (SyRS)
Conceptual Design
SyRS - key element of the Functional Baseline (FBL)
FBL represents a system-level logical
architecture that describes the what’s and Conceptual Prelim
why’s of the system Design De
System Design Review (SDR) provides a
formalized check of the logical design; FBL
communicates that design to the major BNR SNR (SyRS)
SDR
stakeholders; confirms the BNR, SNR, & SyRS;
and provides a formal record of design
decisions and design acceptance
Preliminary Design
converts the logical architecture into description of the
physical subsystems (upper-level physical architecture)
results in the Allocated Baseline (ABL) where the logical
groupings in FBL are defined in more detail and then re-
grouped and allocated to subsystem-level physical groupings
(called configuration
Detailed Desi
items (CI)) Conceptual Preliminary
and
ends with a Preliminary Design Design
Developmen
Design Review (PDR)
FBL ABL
BNR SNR (SyRS)
SDR PDR
Detailed Design and Development
uses engineering disciplines to develop the individual
subsystems, assemblies, and components of the system
results in the Product Baseline (PBL); system is now defined
by numerous products, materials, and processes for
manufacturing and construction
ends with Critical Design Review (CDR)
Detailed
Design and
Conceptual Preliminary Development
Design Design Construction
FBL ABL PBL and/or
BNR SNR (SyRS)
Production
SDR PDR CDR
Construction and/or Development
components are produced in accordance with the PBL
specifications and the system is ultimately constructed
ends with Formal Qualification Review (FQR) which
provides the basis of customer acceptance
FQR is informed of the results of acceptance test &
evaluation (AT&E)
Detailed
Design and
Conceptual Preliminary Development
Design Design Construction
FBL PBL and/or
ABL
BNR SNR (SyRS) FQR
Production
SDR PDR CDR
Utilization and Retirement Phases
major activities in Utilization Phase:
Operational Use
System Support
modifications may be necessary
system life cycle ends with the Retirement Phase

Pre-acquisition Utilization Retirement

Acquisition Phase
Phase Phase Phase
Development Approaches
Waterfall approach  life-cycle phases and activities are
undertaken sequentially
Other Approaches have their own strengths and weaknesses:
 incremental, spiral, evolutionary acquisition, etc.
the selection of a suitable development approach is a critical
activity early in a system life cycle
For simplicity, we continue to assume the waterfall approach
for the majority of the course - generally considered as the
fundamental building block in which other approaches are built
END OF MODULE 2