Robin and Peter will be describing methods of measuring some important characteristics of in-service systems: the safety of transportation systems and the maturity of safety management systems. For more details see the flyer attached.
Note that, for this event only, we are trialling a slightly longer format so the presentable will finish at 1900H instead of the usual 1830H (all of the other presentations are an hour long as usual).

Maritime Composite Training System (MCTS)

Neil Turner, BAE Systems.

BAE Systems Maritime Composite Training System is a world class warfare operator training solution which supports operational capability by ensuring that individuals and teams have the knowledge and confidence required to operate and fight their ships at sea.

This lecture provides an overview of MCTS and how it provides a cost-effective training system for the Royal Navy.  It will explain how functional fidelity is preserved in addition to achieving representative physical fidelity and looks at some of the challenges that had to be overcome.

Professor Visakan Kadirkamanathan will provide an overview of the Sheffield Control Engineering Department and its research to provide context. He will give details of the tools and techniques used in control and systems engineering - specifically for health monitoring, decision support systems and data analytics and provide an outline of the current directions in autonomous and complex systems research.

This is a joint event organised by the IET Bristol Network and supported by the INCOSE Bristol Local Group, and was originally scheduled for 3rd February 2014.

Refreshments will be served at 18:30.

Professor Visakan Kadirkamanathan is Head of Department and Director of the Rolls-Royce supported UTC (University Technology Centre) in Control and Systems Engineering at the Department of Automatic Control & Systems Engineering, The University of Sheffield.

Please register using the IET website:

http://tinyurl.com/ohj8727

Details of the UWE Frenchay campus can be found here:

http://tinyurl.com/UWEMaps

Emmet C.  Eckman III (“Rusty”), the Director of Programs in Northrop Grumman’s Intelligence Solution Unit of their Cyber Solutions Division will discuss some of the challenges of developing effective solutions in a rapidly changing cyber environment.  Rusty is an Expert Systems Engineering Professional and a Certified ScrumMaster ® with significant experience in the delivery of mission critical systems in agile environments. Rusty will describe the specific challenges of developing cyber solutions, and how Northrop Grumman has adopted Agile Systems Engineering approaches to meet one of the greatest security challenges of the 21^st Century.

Bob will describe the integrated programme and its syllabus, reflect on the experience with it to date and suggest lessons that can be drawn for teaching system-related skills in the rail sector. For more details see the flyer attached.

Science and technology has played an important role in supporting UK Government interests for
many years ranging from challenges within the UK to deployed operations abroad, such as Operation
HERRICK in Afghanistan since 2002. These challenges can be characterised by a high degree of
complexity, significant costs, major logistical demands and many severe technical obstacles that need
to be addressed, especially where there is a threat to livelihood or even threat to life such as in Op
HERRICK.

This presentation will comprise three elements. Firstly, the presentation will introduce some of the
complexities presented by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which became one of the touchstone
issues in Op HERRICK. IEDs have presented UK forces and coalition partners with extraordinary
challenges and treating them merely as a technical threat could only be part of a wider approach.
Secondly, the presentation will extend to introduce some systems approaches (including Soft
Systems Methodology SSM) currently being used within the Department for the Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), specifically in the domains of animal and plant health, and also bovine TB
in the UK. Effective interventions are necessary and systems methods are proving to be a vital way of
understanding long-term, complex sets of interconnected issues. Finally, the presentation will explain
how IEDs and animal/plant health/bovine TB are linked at all …

Neil Lindsay works in DSTL, the organisation providing scientific and technical support to the Ministry
of Defence. Following a period of in-depth materials research, Neil has undertaken a number of senior
roles within DSTL beginning with Chief Scientist (Naval Systems). For the last five years Neil has
developed innovative systems-based techniques to understand and counter complex enterprises and
threats.

Contact Information: Luminita Ciocoiu
L.Ciocoiu@lboro.ac.uk (01509 635 208)

INCOSE's International Symposium brings together senior leaders and practitioners from industry, universities, and organizations to deliver the latest global perspective on systems engineering along with sponsors and exhibitors from across the global systems engineering community.

Four industry tracks are included in the Technical Program:

• Automotive Industry Track
• Biomedical & Healthcare Industry Track
• Energy & Infrastructure Industry Track
• Ground Transportation Industry Track

This year's programming focuses on relevant industry themes and challenges - including increasing SE capability and SE competency within these domains; increasing the effectiveness of SE change programs across organizations; reuse and SE PLM (product lifecycle management) strategies and SE implementation case studies. Industry Roundtables and working sessions allow industry exchange of current SE practices and approaches to addressing SE challenges.

Enterprise Systems Engineering and Systems of Systems

Since its inception nearly a year ago, the ESE Interest Group has based its meetings around talks by guest speakers which have allowed us to explore the subject from a number of different viewpoints.

For the next meeting, we intend to try something different by running a workshop in which we attempt to answer the question ‘What are the differences and overlaps between ESE and SoS’.  The question is timely, since the SEBoK knowledge areas for both subjects will be undergoing revision in the next year or two and there are clear opportunities for influencing wider thinking.

The workshop will be facilitated by Ivan Mactaggart, who will introduce the subject using material drawn from previous work by the ESE IG, the INCOSE SoS Working Group,  SEBoK and his own research.

Assuming adequate progress is achieved, we will publish the output on the ESE Wiki to stimulate further debate across the INCOSE community.

 Ivan Mactaggart CEng MINCOSE MIET MSOE

Ivan is a Lead Systems Engineer in the Engineering function of AWE PLC. In addition to working on cross enterprise projects as part of AWE’s contribution to UK Defence, Ivan is also part of a small team working on the future development of AWE’s SE Capability. An active member of INCOSE UK, Ivan chairs the UK Advisory Board and is a member of the MBSE and Capability Working Groups and the Enterprise Systems Engineering Interest Group. Ivan is currently researching an MSc Thesis “Identifying and Mitigating the Issues that Prevent Effective Enterprise Systems Engineering”.

 As usual for this venue, it is essential that those wishing to attend regisgter beforehand using the on-line booking system - if possible by close of business on Friday 14th. This will avoid possibly lengthy delays at reception. 

Agenda

Introductions

Review / status of actions

• Steve A: Plan for the SSE work and what we are doing
• Peter M: Risk and associated issues
• Laura M: Review aspects of characterisation
• Andrew F: Review SEBoK entries – what applies to Services, what needs changing, what is missing.
• John D: Group characteristics, capture stuff in Wiki, review Cambridge Services Alliance papers for relevance.
• Rachel F: Product Service Systems

New actions

AOB

The Bristol Local Group is pleased to announce a repeat of last year’s successful evening of festive fun at the Aztec Hotel, Bristol.  This year, we will be running a quiz to test your logic, knowledge of music, famous faces and lots of random other stuff, plus – while stocks last – there will be a festive tipple on arrival.  This event will also be a great networking opportunity and a chance to get to know your BLG committee members.

The British rail network evolved from 150 independent railways in 1830s into a single, large and integrated networked system by 21st century. The presenter will show how the system evolved from virtual System of Systems (SoS), through collaborative SoS to a directed SoS.

In this case study, the British Rail network system has been evaluated against three basic frameworks, the US DOD classification, the UK MOD SOSA approach and the UK Department of Transport (DfT) engineering assurance framework. The analysis showed that the DoD framework was a useful descriptive approach but wasn’t predictive and the SOSA framework and DfT questions assumed a directed or acknowledged SoS. However, none of the frameworks addressed the need for clear economic benefit to systems owners for using both system and SoS. It was found that this factors, more than technical standardisation, drive the pace and depth of SoS effectiveness.

Much like the artistic genre of Steampunk, the British railway network case study is a mixture of familiar SoS concepts and approaches in an unfamiliar Victorian setting. Unlike Steampunk this case study is not only amusing and entertaining, it is also educational.

About the Presenter

Duncan Kemp is the engineering skills development team leader in Defence Equipment and Support in MOD where he is responsible for developing 5000 engineers from graduates and apprentices up to senior fellows. Duncan is also responsible for systems engineering policy, process and development.

Previous he was chief systems engineer for rail in the Department for Transport, where he initiated the work on the Rail Value for Money study and led the study's work on the asset management, supply chain management and whole system asset management. Duncan is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. He was co-chair of the INCOSE Transportation Working Group from 2009 until his return to defence in 2012.

To book please contact Luminita Ciocoiu

Tel: 01509 635 208
Email:L.Ciocoiu@lboro.ac.uk

Challenges to the Adoption of a Systems Engineering Approach

Laurence Harvilchuck, CEng MIED

R&D Process Architect, Xyratex Ltd., Havant PO9 1SA

Abstract:

Small businesses often seem to begin with an informal ‘Just Do It’ [JDI] approach to development activities that ‘gets the job done’ in the name of agility or efficiency. There may be a failure to appreciate that the JDI approach may not scale up from the relatively flat development teams found in small organisations to the multiple levels of organisation often necessary in development. Several factors can challenge the adoption of scalable systems engineering techniques. In this talk, we will discuss the risks to adoption as well as the value that a systems engineering approach can bring to the business of development.