A semantically-enriched quality governance framework in the system of systems context applied to cancer care

Organisations are becoming more complex with diverse businesses, and therefore accomplishing their business objectives entails the need to develop System of Systems (SoS) with new capabilities based on existing monolithic systems of different domains. Regardless of the business objectives of these organisations, they can only be achieved if the right level of quality is ensured across the SoS arrangement. In order to deliver new SoS capabilities, interoperability between the SoS’s Constituent Systems (CSs) is required. Semantic inconsistencies at different levels of SoS’s constituent systems causes various challenges which can degrade the level of quality governance among the SoS arrangement. These inconsistencies mainly are due to the domain process’ heterogeneities, multiple standards followed, policies and varying levels of quality requirements of the CSs, and hence the level of interoperability affecting the anticipated quality.To respond to the above challenges, this research is aimed at investigating the effectiveness of semantically-enriched quality governance in relation to policies, processes, standards and quality requirements of the constituent systems in a SoS arrangement. For this purpose, a semantically enriched framework for the quality governance of SoS, i.e. OntoSoS.QM.Gov (Ontology-based System of Systems Quality Management Governance) has been developed and evaluated incrementally using an adaptation of the Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM). A sufficient and representative case study has been utilised in the DSRM process increments from the SoS cancer care domain, in particular, the Cell Therapy and Applied Genomics (CTAG) at the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC), Jordan. The OntoSoS.QM.Gov framework consists of four ontological models: (i) the SoS standards ontology model (OntoSoS.Stand), (ii) the SoS quality requirements ontology model (OntoSoS.QR), (iii) the SoS process ontology model (OntoSoS.Process), and (iv) the SoS policies ontology model (OntoSoS.Policy). They are linked together using a fit-for-purpose governance process in managing the semantics of the relevant quality governance areas.The outcomes of demonstrating the OntoSoS.QM.Gov framework using the CTAG case study and evaluating it with the cancer care domain experts revealed the following. First, semantic heterogeneities between CSs and SoS in relation to their policies, processes, quality requirements and standards have been resolved. Second, the fit- for- purpose quality governance process was observed to mostly determining and resolving conflicts with minimum human intervention. Third, the adequacy of the four ontological governance models in capturing the semantics of governance in relation to policies, processes, quality requirements and standards not only for CSs but also as stand-alone models that may further be utilised in different contexts or domains.Finally, this research has to identify further research areas to explore in relation to the governance of change management of constituent systems’ processes, policies, standards where their business processes change

Extending the scope of configuration management for the development and life cycle support of systems of systems - An ontology‐driven framework applied to the Enceladus Submarine Exploration Lander

Increasingly complex systems of systems (SoS) have to be developed in ever shorter times-to-market at reduced costs and with high reliability. In addition, as the life cycle of such SoS frequently spans across several decades, customer expectations and market conditions will evolve. Systems engineering (SE)/model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and configuration management (CM) need to be ever more closely integrated to appropriately address this situation. CM as a discipline is essential for establishing traceability and controlling baseline evolutions between all the relevant pieces of information resulting from the related system life cycle processes of all constituent systems of such SoS; but for this to work, the scope of CM must be extended both throughout the entire life cycle and across all participating monolithic systems. New frameworks are needed to effectively and efficiently apply CM across SoS arrangements. This paper proposes an ontology-based, federative approach to managing the inherent complexity of CM in the context of SoS, with particular focus on a change management framework for SoS. Examples from a conceptual system that is concerned with the submarine exploration of Enceladus as part of the “Saturn exploration system” are used to demonstrate typical SE/MBSE artifacts and how CM needs to address them across the involved operational and enabling systems