1. Systems of Systems Challenges and Strategies
Jo Ann Lane
jolane at usc.edu
March 2010

2. Overview SoS context and key challenges SoSE strategies Future plans
Incremental commitment and evolution
Lean principles
Engineering cost estimation
Engineering and management artifacts
Test and evaluation
Future plans
Acknowledgements

3. What is a “System of Systems”?
Very large systems using a framework or architecture to integrate constituent systems (CSs)
Exhibits emergent behavior not otherwise achievable by CSs
SoS CSs
Independently developed and managed
New or existing systems in various stages of development/evolution
May include a significant number of COTS products
Have their own purpose
Can dynamically come and go from SoS
Typical domains
Business: Enterprise-wide and cross-enterprise integrations
Military/Crisis Response: Dynamic communications infrastructure
Net -
Centric SoS
Net-Centric
Connectivity
Laboratory
System
Imaging
Management
Pharmacy
Patient
Telemetry
Health Care Network
Based on Mark Maier’s SoS definition [Maier, 1998]

4. SoS Taxonomy Virtual [Maier, 1998] Collaborative [Maier, 1998]
Lacks a central management authority and a clear SoS purpose
Collaborative [Maier, 1998]
CS engineering teams work together, but no overarching SoSE team to guide
Acknowledged [Dahmann, 2008]
Have recognized objectives, a designated manager, and resources at the SoS level (SoSE team)
Directed [Maier, 2008]
SoS centrally managed by a government, corporate, or Lead System Integrator (LSI) and built to fulfill specific purposes

5. SoSE Activities for “Acknowledged” SoS
Key challenges
Focusing CSs on SoS needs and capabilities
Coordinating development of new capabilities across CSs
Creating SoS roadmap to guide CS activities
Testing SoS capabilities in an asynchronous development environment
Translating
capability
objectives
Addressing new
requirements
& options
Addressing
& solution
options
Understanding
systems &
relationships
(includes plans)
External Environment
Developing,
evolving and
maintaining
SoS design/arch
Developing
& evolving
SoS
architecture
Assessing
(actual)
performance
to capability
Orchestrating
upgrades
to SoS
Monitoring
& assessing
changes
SoSE
(SoS SE Guidebook View Based on
Interviews and Analysis of
18 DoD SoSs in Various Stages)

6. SoSE Synchronization Challenges
SoS SE Level*
Constituent System n
(pre-existing)
  
Increment m
Increment m+1
   ●
● ●
Constituent
System B
(pre-existing)
  
Increment n-1
Increment n
Increment n+1
  
MS A
MS B
MS C
New System A
  
MSA TD
EMD PD
O&S
   6

7. SoSE Process Strategies: Incremental Commitment Model for SoS
Clear “battle rhythm” for SoS incremental upgrades, driven by prioritized backlog of needed capabilities….
Constituent systems use their own lifecycle upgrade processes to integrate SoS requirements into their own incremental upgrade….

8. SoSE Process Strategies: Lean Enterprise Principles
SoSE guided by LAI Lean Enterprise 4 Grand Questions
Lean Enterprise 4 Grand Questions mapped to DoD SoSE case studies….
Lean Enterprise 4 Grand Questions mapped to SoSE core elements….
SoSE Core Element
Lean Enterprise Grand Questions
Stakeholder Considerations
Holistic Enterprise View
Q1: Understand Current
Q2: Future Possibilities
Q3: Strategies and Tactics for Future
Q4: Change Process
Translating Capability Objectives X
Understanding Systems and Relationships
Assessing Performance to Capability Objectives
Developing and Evolving an SoS Architecture
Monitoring and Assessing Changes
Addressing Requirements and Solution Options
Orchestrating Upgrades to SoS

9. SoSE Process Strategies: Engineering Cost Estimation
Calculations based on SoS characteristics/size and capability implementation approach using COSYSMO algorithm
SoSE effort
SoSE
Effort
Conversion to COSYSMO size units
CS 1 SoSE
contribution
effort
Equivalent
set of
“sea-level”
requirements
System
Capability
• • •
CS n SoSE
contribution
effort
Applies reuse factors, different cost factors for each engineering organization at each system level, and diseconomy of scale for SoS and CS-level requirements implemented in the same upgrade cycle….

10. SoSE Process Strategies: Artifacts
Artifacts can be characterized as key boundary objects between SoS and constituent system levels…

11. SoSE Process Strategies: Test and Evaluation
Key strategies
SoS-level testing builds on CS-level testing
Use of test ranges and operational testing
Evidence-based approach
Focus on
SoS capabilities
Network
Interoperability
Assessment of SoS performance over time
Feedback process for fielded SoS

12. Future SoSE Research Plans
Conduct deeper dives into
Lean lens analysis
Test and evaluation analysis
SoSE artifacts
SoS architecture evolution
SoSE cost model
Incorporate additional cost factors into COSYSMO to capture additional SoS characteristics and non-traditional SE effort
Evaluate impacts of insufficient SE at SoS level on rework
Break out SoSE effort
Planning
Implementation
SoS-level testing

13. Acknowledgements
DoD Director, Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E)
Stevens-USC Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) support
SoS case study work that has provided considerable engineering insights into SoSE
LAI for their research into lean enterprise concepts
Dr. Ricardo Valerdi’s pioneering work in the development of the COSYSMO cost model upon which the SoSE cost model is based

14. Questions?

15. References
Dahmann, J. and K. Baldwin Understanding the current state of US defense systems of systems and the implications for systems engineering. Proceedings of the IEEE Systems Conference, April 7-10, in Montreal, Canada.
Department of Defense Systems engineering guide for system of systems, version 1.0.
Maier, M Architecting principles for systems-of-systems. Systems Engineering 1, no. 4:
Valerdi, R Constructive systems engineering cost model. PhD. Dissertation, University of Southern California.
Valerdi, R. and M. Wheaton ANSI/EIA 632 as a standardized WBS for COSYSMO, AIAA , Proceedings of the AIAA 5th Aviation, Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference, Arlington, Virginia.
Wang, G., R. Valerdi, A. Ankrum, C. Millar, and G. Roedler COSYSMO reuse extension, Proceedings of the 18th Annual International Symposium of INCOSE, The Netherlands.