Initiatives

SoS Systems Engineering

The Department of Defense (DoD) acquires materiel solutions to address capability needs of the war fighter in military operations and to provide efficient support and readiness in peacetime. A growing number of these capabilities are achieved through a system of systems (SoS) approach. An SoS is a set or arrangement of systems that results when independent and useful systems are integrated into a larger system that delivers unique capabilities (Source: DoD Defense Acquisition Guidebook, Section 4.2.1.2).

While systems engineering (SE) is a key enabler of systems acquisition, SE practices and approaches historically have been described with a single system rather than an SoS in mind. Based on research with DoD SoS SE practitioners and researchers, DoD released the Systems Engineering Guide for Systems of Systems in August 2008. This guide identifies the seven core elements of systems engineering for SoS, describes how current SE technical and technical processes can be applied to implementing these core elements, and outlines emerging principles for successful systems engineering for SoS. Download the guide and associated pamphlets:

• Systems Engineering Guide for Systems of Systems, v1.0, August 2008
• Systems Engineering Guide for Systems of Systems: Essentials—Screen Version | Duplex Print Version
• Systems Engineering Guide for Systems of Systems: Summary—Screen Version | Duplex Print Version

The SE Guide for SoS identified areas where work is needed to better understand how to apply SE in an SoS environment. Since the release of the guide, the four initiatives identified below were undertaken to address these areas. Links are provided to briefs and papers that have been published with the latest findings.

• Defining the core elements of systems engineering for SoS as a framework for SE for SoS
  
  • Dahmann, Judith, Jo Ann Lane, George Rebovich, Jr. and Kristen J. Baldwin. "A Model of Systems Engineering in a System of Systems Context." Paper presented at the Sixth Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER 2008), Redondo Beach, CA, April 2008.
    
  • Dahmann, Judith S., George Rebovich, Jr. and Jo Ann Lane. 2008. "Systems Engineering for Capabilities." CrossTalk (The Journal of Defense Software Engineering) 21 (November): 4–9
• Relationship between SoS and Net-Centric Systems
  
  • Dahmann, Judith, Kristen J. Baldwin, and George Rebovich, Jr. "Systems of Systems and Net-Centric Enterprise Systems." Paper presented at the Seventh Annual Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER), Loughborough University, Scotland, April 2009.
• SoS and Test and Evaluation
  
  • Dahmann, Judith, and Rob Hellman, et al. "SoS Systems Engineering and Test & Evaluation: Final Report of the NDIA SE Division SoS SE and T&E Committees ." Results of a National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Systems Engineering Division task implemented by members of the Systems of Systems and Test and Evaluation Committees, March 2012.
  • Dahmann, Judith, Jo Ann Lane, George Rebovich, and Ralph Lowry. "Systems of Systems Test and Evaluation Challenges." Paper presented at the IEEE 5th International Conference on Systems of Systems Engineering (SoSE), Loughborough University, Scotland, June 2010.
  • Wilson, Beth, Tom Wissink, Judith Dahmann, and John Palmer. "Test and Evaluation Issues for Systems of Systems: Sleepless Nights to Sominex (NDIA Workshop on SoS and T&E)." Briefing presented at the 13th Annual National Defense Industrial Association Systems Engineering Conference, San Diego, CA, October 2010.
• SoS and System Security Engineering
  
  • Dahmann, Judith, George Rebovich, and Glenda Turner. "An Actionable Framework for System of Systems and Mission Area Security Engineering." Paper presented at the 2014 IEEE International Systems Conference, Ottawa, Canada, April 2014.
    
• Systems of Systems Artifacts
  
  • Baldwin, Kristen, Judith Dahmann, George Rebovich, Jo Ann Lane, and Ralph Lowry. "An Implementers' View of Systems Engineering for Systems of Systems." Paper presented at the 2011 IEEE International Systems Conference, Montreal, Canada, April 2011.
    
  • Dahmann, Judith, George Rebovich, Jo Ann Lane, and Ralph Lowry. "System Engineering Artifacts for SoS." Paper presented at the 2010 IEEE International Systems Conference, San Diego, CA, April 2010.
    
  • Lane, Jo Ann, Judith Dahmann, George Rebovich, and Ralph Lowry. "Key System of Systems Engineering Artifacts to Guide Engineering Activities." Briefing presented at the 13th Annual National Defense Industrial Association Systems Engineering Conference, San Diego, CA, October 2010.

DASD(SE) also participates as a member of the Systems of Systems (SoS) Work Stream of The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) Technical Panel (TP) on Systems Engineering and Modernization and their National organizations. The SoS Work Stream published this product documenting their work:

• Recommended Practices: System of Systems Considerations in the Engineering of Systems, August 2014, TR-JSA/TP4-1-2014

DoD has teamed with the NDIA System of Systems Engineering Committee to host the System of Systems Engineering Collaborators Information Exchange focused on providing information about SoS efforts across the acquisition community. For additional information about the SoS SE Initiative, contact us.

Papers and briefings are reprinted with permission from: IEEE Systems Council | International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) | National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) .