4.3. Systems Engineering Processes

DEFENSE ACQUISITION GUIDEBOOK
Chapter 4 -- Systems Engineering

4.3. Systems Engineering Processes

4.3.1. Systems Engineering Processes Overview

4.3. Systems Engineering Processes

4.3.1. Systems Engineering Processes Overview

The systems engineering (SE) processes are used by contractor and Government organizations to provide a framework and methodology to plan, manage, and implement technical activities throughout the acquisition life cycle. SE planning and execution should focus on applying the processes and tools in a rigorous, integrated, and disciplined manner to achieve a system solution that balances performance, cost, schedule, and risk. The eight technical management processes provide a consistent framework for managing technical activities and identifying the technical information and events critical to the success of the program. The eight technical processes ensure the system design and the delivered capability reflect the requirements that the stakeholders have expressed. As a whole, the SE processes provide a systematic approach focused on providing needed capability to the operational end user. Successful implementation of the SE processes results in an integrated capability solution that is:

• Responsive to the needs of the user
• Balanced among multiple requirements, design considerations, and program costs and schedules
• Able to operate in complex system-of-systems (SoS) environments as required

All organizations performing SE should scale their application and use of these processes to the type of product or system being developed. This scaling should reflect the system’s maturity and complexity, size and scope, life-cycle phase, and other relevant considerations. Disciplined application of the SE processes provides a technical framework that enables sound decision making, increases product knowledge and system maturity, and helps reduce risk. The following subsections, as indicated in Table 4.3.1.T1, discuss the SE processes in more detail.

Table 4.3.1.T1. Systems Engineering Processes (DAG Chapter 4 subsection)

Industry SE process standards that describe best practices in accomplishing SE include, but are not limited to, the following:

• ISO/IEC 15288, Systems and Software Engineering-System Life Cycle Processes
• ISO/IEC 26702, Application and Management of the Systems Engineering Process
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010, Architecture Description
• EIA 632, Processes for Engineering a System

Roles, Responsibilities, and Activities

The Program Manager and Systems Engineer use the technical management processes as insight and control functions for the overall technical development of the system throughout the acquisition life cycle. They use the technical processes to design, create, and analyze the system, system elements, and enabling system elements required for production, integration, test, deployment, support, operation, and disposal.

The SE processes, and their constituent activities and tasks, are not meant to be performed in a particular time-dependent or serial sequence. The Program Manager and Systems Engineer apply the processes iteratively, recursively and in parallel (as applicable) throughout the life cycle to translate identified capability needs into balanced and integrated system solutions. The Systems Engineer is responsible for developing the plan and applying the SE processes across the program, monitoring execution throughout the life cycle, and taking necessary steps to improve process efficiency and effectiveness.

Table 4.3.1.T2 is a representation of how much effort is typically focused on each of the SE processes throughout the acquisition life cycle. The Program Manager and Systems Engineer should apply appropriate resources with requisite skill sets to ensure successful execution of each process.

Table 4.3.1.T2. Notional Emphasis of Systems Engineering Processes Throughout
the Defense Weapon System Acquisition Life Cycle

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