a need for creativity in systems integration
DESCRIPTION
This presentation was gived during the 2011 Israeli Systems Engineering Conference. The presentation argues that the complexity of Systems Integration call for creative Systems Integrators.TRANSCRIPT
1
The Sixth National Conference INCOSE_IL 2011
Systems Integration Session
Need for Creativity in Systems Integration
Sergey Tozik
Bernard M. Gordon Center for Systems Engineering, Technion
Integration is…
Systems Integration / The Complexity of Systems Integration/March 2011. 2
Unavoidable – there is always an integrator
Starts late, ends very late
Always full of surprises
Sometimes is on the verge of chaos
Frequently “saved by a hero”
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Element 1
Element 2
Element 3
1+2
Product
Integration
Integration
Simple?
There is more…
Business
System
More than just product…
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Product Operators
UsersPart Part
System
System
More than one way to do it…
Systems Integration / The Complexity of Systems Integration/March 2011.5
Diverse Integration Processes
• Planned (Company Procedures and Standards)• Tailored for specific projects• Ad-hoc (Manage it as it goes)
Diverse organizational structures
• Professional integration teams• Ad-hoc teams lead by professional integrator• Ad-hoc team led by discipline specialist or subsystem engineer
Diverse Engineering Approaches
• Classics: Functional and Structural• By user feature• By specialty discipline
More than just tests…
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Core – Integration Labs, Tests Planning, Performing, Reporting
Logistics (Flow of people, parts and materials)
Management of people & work, status reporting
Information and Knowledge Flow Management
Resources Acquisition, Management and Reporting
More than just technology…
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There is adaptation…
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Level 1: Product Adaptation
• Co-evolution of the product and the stakeholders’ requirements• Evolution of prototypes through integration and tests
Level 2: System Adaptation
• Operators adapt to the system• Operators’ dissatisfaction causes changes in systems
Level 3: Business Adaptation
• Systems are deployed as assets of the acquiring organization• The assets are combined in creative ways to perform missions• New types of missions change the operational processes
Diversity…
Systems Integration / The Complexity of Systems Integration/March 2011.9
Diverse cultures of engineering
Diversity of people – skills, disciplines, habits
Diversity of design alternatives
Network of mutual influences…
Systems Integration / The Complexity of Systems Integration/March 2011.10
Parts
System-of-interest
Super-system
Operational Missions
PartsDevelopers
System Integrators
System Operators
Super-system
Integrators Stakeholders
Social Environment
NaturalEnvironment
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System Integration
is Complex Adaptive System
Diversity
AdaptationInterconnectivity
andMutual Influence
Large Scale Crises
UnpredictableRobustn
ess
Flexibility
There are tools…
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Model-based Systems Engineering
• Integrate models (in vitro) not parts (in vivo)• Integrate earlier• Model system users and business processes
Iterative development
• Find and fix problems fast• Cover all three levels of integration
There is still a need for “creative integrator”
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Creative Integrator
Diversity
AdaptationInterconnectivity
andMutual Influence
Diversity
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Use different sources of information
Use different types of tests
Use different styles of reporting
Use different types of modeling
Networking
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Build ad-hoc teams
Mobilize cooperation of users
Mobilize cooperation of developers
Facilitate information exchange
Adaptation
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Adapt reporting to different purposes
Adapt integration approaches
Never stop to learn
Adjust levels of detail and abstraction
Move across levels of integration
Conclusions
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Integration process is complex adaptive system
The human side of integration is generally overlooked
There is a need for creativity in integration
Creative Integrators have to be complex and adaptive
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Beat Complexity With Creativity!
Any answers?