Reduction of Late Design Changes Through Early Phase Need Analysis

Published and used by INCOSE with permission. Abstract. Contractors in the oil and gas industry are experiencing an increased pressure to deliver projects at a lower cost and at a shorter schedule. Extensive requirements combined with strict governing documents restrict project designs. Therefore, contractors need efficient governing processes that capture customers ’ needs and ensure that system requirements relates to these customer needs. In the execution phase of a project, the engineering degrees of freedom are limited. In the early project phase of concept and study, the basic design is established. The design freeze occurs in the tender phase, based on a best interpretation of customer needs. This causes any changes made in the execution phase to be costly and have the potential to impose severe subsequent consequences. Proper use of systems engineering ensures a minimal amount of late design changes. The most important systems engineering process in such a context, is the capturing of customer needs and definition of user requirements. We researched the processes used to capture system requirements today, and the potential impact of using systems engineering techniques for this purpose. We uncovered multiple gaps in the current process of capturing customer needs, which subsequently led to the definition of system requirements based on international standards and best practices, instead of actual needs. Our research also showed that with a process of capturing customer needs based on systems engineering techniques, as much as 92 % of the costs imposed by late design changes are avoidable

Use Cases and Non-functional Requirements Presented in Compact System Description A3s

Copyright © 2013 by Anders Fuglesteg Nilsen. Published and used by INCOSE with permission. Abstract. Translating stakeholder requirements into system requirements is important for guiding the detailed design towards a solution that meets the stakeholder needs. The methods typically used today in the company do not sufficiently capture performance requirements. We combined the functional and non-functional aspects of a system in one diagram. We used compact system description A3s to communicate the diagram and other system information to stakeholders. We showed that presenting functions through use cases, annotated with non-functional requirements, help capture the performance aspect of the system, and that compact system description A3s communicate the most important aspect of the system well

Electric mobility and charging: systems of systems and infrastructure systems

In light of European and worldwide environmental programs, reduction of CO2 emissions and improvements in air quality receive a lot of attention. A prominent way to improve on both aspects is the replacement of Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles with Electrical Vehicles. Yet, simply replacing vehicles will not result in proper electric mobility because using Electrical Vehicles depends on many systems and infrastructures including the chargers, parking sites and payment structures. In this paper we will take an explorative view on Electric Mobility and match developments in that area with Systems of Systems Engineering. We will also present a case study on charging many Electric Vehicles, where we will match business opportunities and technical feasibility to the transition from early adopters to the early majority as main Electric Vehicle user

Early Validation of High-Tech Start-ups by Using Big Data

Source at https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en/news-and-events/all-events/ispim-innovation-conference-2023.Majority of the start-ups fail in the early stage of the development due to lack of validation. This paper focuses on high-tech start-ups and investigates the use of data and/or big data at this stage. The study found that early-stage start-ups fail because they create products or services not needed in the market. Early validation through an agile approach can help these young companies to manoeuver through a turbulent external environment. The results show that big data or data can act as a support at this stage. However, there are various barriers that need to be addressed for successful data adoption. The paper proposes an early validation user guide (EVU) to overcome these barriers and make data adoption easier. The EVU can provide start-ups the tools to use big data or data as a support for early validation based on the market context of the start-ups

1 Requirement Elicitation and Validation by Prototyping and Demonstrators User Interface Development in the Oil- and Gas Industry

Copyright © 2010 by Jan Magnus Røkke Incomplete or misinterpreted requirements are a significant source of customer and user dissatisfaction in development of software user interfaces. In these systems, where consideration of the human factor is a vital part of the development, the undertaking of understanding the real needs of the user must not be underestimated. Unfortunately, there are often organizational boundaries which restrict or limit the developer’s opportunities to communicate with the customer and stakeholders. The result is often a weak link between the stakeholder needs, system requirements and the realization of the user interface system. This paper addresses how an approach to requirements engineering based on a combination of rapid prototyping and demonstrator sessions can be used to elicit requirements and obtain early feedback and acceptance from system stakeholders. The method was conducted on a user interface development project for gas turbine driven generator- and compressor packages in operation at offshore oil-rigs. Stakeholders were presented with module prototypes with a varying degree of dynamics, simulation and interaction based on the stage of the development. Together with rationale based questioning, the demonstrator sessions provided a context for constructive discussions and feedback. The developers returned with a better understanding of the rationale for stakeholder need and clarification of misinterpreted or poorly defined requirements. This enabled us to create an application better aligned with customer and user needs and a minimal amount of rework and updates after system deployment

Embedded Master’s Students Conduct Highly Relevant Research Using Industry as Their Laboratory

This article analyzes participatory action research conducted by Systems Engineering master’s students embedded fifty percent in industrial companies for three years. The resulting papers authored by these students identify challenges and effective practices suitable for knowledge transfer between industry and academia. The analysis covers 181 completed master’s projects, with a detailed analysis of 40 papers that have been published in international conferences and journals. The publication rate of about 23% shows that these students contribute actively to the body of Systems Engineering knowledge. This study analyzes master’s projects at three levels – industrial problem and drivers; Systems Engineering methods; and research method feasibility – and provides valuable lessons learned by applying the industry-as-laboratory approach. Embedding students in industry has resulted in publications that do not suffer from the main challenges of participatory research such as delays, repeatability, and only action and not research. These insights are valuable both for industry and for academia in future work to enhance innovations

Towards a Framework of Research Methodology Choices in Systems Engineering

8th Annual Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER