Membership Meeting: December 14, 2015

This is an early announcement concerning the 14 Dec chapter meeting.  Scott Workinger will be talking about Transformational Systems Engineering.  We will be trying a new location: Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303. We will also work on setting up satellite location at Lockheed Martin.  

Introduction to Transformational Systems Engineering

Scott Workinger scottworkinger@gmail.com

In recent years, many of our colleagues have observed that, “There is no one-size-fits-all systems engineering.”  This observation has arisen as the complexities in our world have multiplied and organizations have been experimenting with multiple innovative practices that could, in some sense, be identified as “Systems Engineering” (SE).  Such practices go by a variety of names, such as Model Based Systems Engineering, Agile Systems Engineering, Enterprise Systems Engineering, Design Thinking, System of Systems Engineering, Business Model Engineering, Complex Systems Engineering, Organizational Development and others.  Of course, Classical Systems Engineering, as it has been practiced in the Aerospace and Defense Industries, is not going away.  Each of these practices has been tried successfully in certain situations.  Each is intended to apply a holistic approach to problems with significant scope and extend the reach of Systems Engineering.  Typically, they offer new paradigms.  But these practices vary considerably as do the contexts in which they are normally applied.  Moreover, often, the practitioners do not self-identify as systems engineers.  For instance, to quote an experienced Apple engineer, “Apple doesn’t hire any systems engineers.  However two thirds of the people at Apple are doing Systems Engineering.”

 In 2013, members of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (SFBAC) of INCOSE became interested in the problem of describing a “Systems Engineering” that is sufficiently inclusive to embrace all of the practices that offer systems engineering functionality, even though practitioners may not call themselves “SEs.”  At that time, we formed the Systems Engineering Transformation Caucus, a loosely knit organization whose mission was to define a larger body of systems engineering practice and make it more accessible to working engineers.  We refer to this rapidly evolving body of practice as “Transformational Systems Engineering” (TSE).

In October, the Caucus members collaborated to create a themed issue of INCOSE INSIGHT, entitled "Systems Engineering in Transformation."  This issue is intended as a snapshot of Transformational Systems Engineering as it exists at this point in time.  Upcoming SFBAC chapter meetings will discuss various aspects of TSE.  This first meeting will give an overview of Transformational SE as it exists today.  Upcoming meetings will describe a variety of TSE practice paradigms, going into more detail in each focus area.

Membership Meeting: August 10

Title: Agile Systems Engineering Process Fundamentals, Life Cycle Models, and Projects

Abstract: This talk will brief fundamental architecture and design principles underlying any system or process that would be agile – able to deal effectively with operational environments that are unpredictable, uncertain, risky, variable, and evolving. He will brief the INCOSE project that is discovering Agile System Engineering Life Cycle Model fundamentals in fifteen 3-day workshops in the US and Europe, which is analyzing agile SE processes of many kinds for underlying agile-enabling principles across twenty 15288 processes. Preliminary findings from the early August 2015 workshop that analyzed the Wave-model process employed by Navy SpaWar for unmanned systems development will be discussed. A brief outline of the Agile Systems & Systems Engineering working group projects and knowledge development process will also be provided.

Bio: Rick has an entrepreneurial background with founder and management experience in all C-level positions, and has dispatched a variety of interim executive problem-solving and program-management assignments in established organizations. He was Co-Principal Investigator on the 1991 Lehigh study funded by the US Department of Defense that introduced the concepts of agile systems and enterprises, and led the subsequent DARPA-funded collaborative research during the nineties that established basic system fundamentals for agile systems of all kinds. In the late nineties he led industry collaborative workshops introducing agile concepts across a variety of industries through a process called Realsearch, a form of collaborative action learning. In the late eighties he led the development of the first research agenda for the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, and organized its collaborative-consortia research mechanisms. He is an INCOSE Fellow, president of the INCOSE Enchantment Chapter (New Mexico), and chairs the INCOSE working groups for Agile Systems and Systems Engineering, and for System Security Engineering. He is CEO/CTO of Paradigm Shift International, an applied research firm specializing in agile systems concepts and education, and leads agile self-organizing system security research and development on US DHS and OSD funded projects. Rick is an adjunct professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, where he develops and teaches basic and advanced graduate courses in agile systems and systems engineering. He holds a BSEE from Carnegie Mellon University.

Upcoming Membership Meetings: June

The INCOSE SFBAC will have their June 8, 2015 Membership Meetings at San Jose State University. Laurie Buss will present "Group Flow: the Genesis of Innovation." Laurie is the Founder of C-Suite Creative and an Advisor, Program Management and Systems Engineering for Stellar Solutions.

July 13 - July 16, 2015 the 25th Annual International Symposium will be held in Seattle, WA.

Meeting Update: May 11 Meeting Cancelled

The May 11th INCOSE SFBAC meeting has been cancelled.  We apologize for the inconvenience. 

Please look out for an email from us in the next few weeks about our June meeting, featuring "Group Flow: the Genesis of Innovation" presented by Laurie Buss.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Upcoming Membership Meetings: April & May

The INCOSE SFBAC will have their April and May 2015 Membership Meetings at San Jose State University. 

April 13, 2015, Yang-Yang Zhao, Associate Professor, Norwegian Institute of Systems Engineering (NISE), Norway and Visiting Associate Professor, Center for Design Research (CDR), Stanford, USA will give a talk called "Human-Centered Development of Systems Engineering in Norwegian Engineering Industries."

May 11, 2015, Andrew Webster, Agile Coach, PayPal will give a talk called, "The Seven Wastes: Could You Be A Little Leaner?"

Upcoming Membership Meeting: February

Our next Membership Meeting will take place on February 9, 2015 at the Hacker Dojo located at 599 Fairchild Drive, Mountain View, California 94043. The meeting topic is Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) vs the "traditional" Document-Based Systems Engineering (DBSE) by Robin Reil. 

December Membership Meeting Cancelled

The INCOSE SFBAC will not be holding a meeting December 2014. Information on future meetings will be posted on our chapter's Schedule of Events page: http://www.incose.org/sfbac/schedule.html

Upcoming Membership Meetings: October & November

The INCOSE SFBAC will be holding meeting on October 13 and November 10, 2014. Information on speakers, topics, and location will be posted on our chapter's Schedule of Events page: http://www.incose.org/sfbac/schedule.html

INCOSE SFBAC's New Meeting Venue

The chapter's NEW LOCATION for meetings is Hacker Dojo located at 599 Fairchild Dive, Mountain View, California 94043. 

More information can be found on their website: http://www.hackerdojo.com/

Hacker Dojo's Event's Calendar: http://events.hackerdojo.com/ 

 

Meeting Information 
Speaker: Phyllis R. Marbach 
Date: August 11, 2014

Agenda: 5:30-6pm Networking, 6-7pm Presentation, 7:15-7:45pm Transformation Caucus Status Update (Optional)

Location: Hacker Dojo, 599 Fairchild Drive, Mountain View, CA http://www.hackerdojo.com/

Summary

Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems” as defined in the INCOSE Systems Engineering handbook. When software development teams apply agile software methodologies such as scrum, test driven development and continuous integration (collectively referred to as “Agile software development” hereafter); there are challenges in coordination with traditional systems engineering efforts. This paper, developed by the INCOSE Agile Systems Engineering Working Group, proposes methods for cross-functional teams that include Systems and Software Engineers working on customer “pull” projects to produce software products. This paper defines a proposed Agile SE Framework that aligns with agile software development methodology, and describes the role of the Systems Engineer in this context. It presents an iterative approach to the aspects of development (requirements, design, etc.) that are relevant to systems engineering practice. This approach delivers frequent releasable products that result in the ability to absorb changes in mission requirements through collaboration between systems engineers and software engineers. The Agile SE Framework defines a way to scale agile from individual agile software teams with a few members to large projects that require a planned architecture and coordinated efforts.

Speaker Bio

Phyllis R. Marbach is a senior software engineer for Boeing Defense Space and Security (BDS).  Phyllis has over 30 years of experience in aerospace programs such as Satellites, chemical lasers, the International Space Station, and various propulsion systems. Currently she is a member of Lean-Agile Support Services (LASS), an active Agile Coach for the Boeing Enterprise, a Certified ScrumMaster and a Certified Product Owner.  She has coached Unmanned Air Systems, Radio, avionics, and research programs.  phyllis.r.marbach@boeing.com Ms. Marbach has an MS degree in Engineering from UCLA.

Upcoming Membership Meeting: Innovation in Systems Engineering

Meeting Information

Speaker: Amanda Foo
Date: June 9, 2014

Time: 5:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Room 109, Carnegie Mellon University, Silicon Valley Campus (CMU), Moffett Field, CA
Summary
A look at two distinct areas: virtual reality and modular designs which both promote change in the System Engineering paradigm. Google Glass and other 3D enhancements help us harness the benefits of Model Based Engineering and simplify complex system designs while potentially aiding us with product assurance and quality issues. When looking at impacts on System Architecture, modular phone designs like ARA project start to scratch the surface of the possibilities of predisposed systems planned for innovation and interchangeability.

Speaker Bio
Amanda Foo received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley in 2004 then began working at Lockheed Martin. Through the years, she has been a lead on Developmental Soft Tooling consoles, Principal Engineer on batteries and electronic packages, and Test Lead on Centrifuge tests.

Currently, she is the Solid Boost Motor Propulsion Manager for Fleet Ballistic Missiles Program. Over the past two years, she has pursued certifications as an Agile Scrum Master and Agile Product Owner. Additionally, she has involved herself in startup technologies including Google Glass Explorer Program and 3D Printing motor mockups.

 Ms. Foo is the current Program Director (2014) and Board Member of INCOSE San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.

Upcoming Membership Meeting: The Role of Systems Engineering in Agile Software Implementation Teams

Meeting Information 
Speaker: Phyllis R. Marbach 
Date: July 14, 2014

Time: 5:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: TBD 



Summary

Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems” as defined in the INCOSE Systems Engineering handbook. When software development teams apply agile software methodologies such as scrum, test driven development and continuous integration (collectively referred to as “Agile software development” hereafter); there are challenges in coordination with traditional systems engineering efforts. This paper, developed by the INCOSE Agile Systems Engineering Working Group, proposes methods for cross-functional teams that include Systems and Software Engineers working on customer “pull” projects to produce software products. This paper defines a proposed Agile SE Framework that aligns with agile software development methodology, and describes the role of the Systems Engineer in this context. It presents an iterative approach to the aspects of development (requirements, design, etc.) that are relevant to systems engineering practice. This approach delivers frequent releasable products that result in the ability to absorb changes in mission requirements through collaboration between systems engineers and software engineers. The Agile SE Framework defines a way to scale agile from individual agile software teams with a few members to large projects that require a planned architecture and coordinated efforts.

Speaker Bio

Phyllis R. Marbach is a senior software engineer for Boeing Defense Space and Security (BDS).  Phyllis has over 30 years of experience in aerospace programs such as Satellites, chemical lasers, the International Space Station, and various propulsion systems. Currently she is a member of Lean-Agile Support Services (LASS), an active Agile Coach for the Boeing Enterprise, a Certified ScrumMaster and a Certified Product Owner.  She has coached Unmanned Air Systems, Radio, avionics, and research programs.  phyllis.r.marbach@boeing.com Ms. Marbach has an MS degree in Engineering from UCLA.

Upcoming Membership Meeting: The Art of Integration

Meeting Information

Speaker: Chin-An Cheng

Date: May 12, 2014

Time: 5:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Room 109/110 (Room location has been updated), Carnegie Mellon University, Silicon Valley Campus (CMU), Moffett Field, CA

Summary

Integration is important to systems engineering because most systems fail at the interface that is an integral part of integration.  Integration is intuitive to human and other social animals and yet, most systems engineers do not think much about it.  Integration can be very complex and complicated, it takes many shapes and flavors and yet the essential elements of the integration are the same – relationships between system elements and rules that govern those relationships.  The art of integration is to define and manage the relationships and form a strong bond between various subsystems.  At the end of the presentation, an example of successful system integration will be discussed to illustrate the art of integration.

Speaker Bio

Chin-An Cheng was born in Shanghai, raised in Taiwan, and educated in the United States. He has 38 years experience in both aerospace and commercial companies including Northrop Aircraft Company, Garrett Airesearch Corporation, Western Union, Hughes Aircraft Company, C.A. Devices, Space Vector Corporation, AXA Corporation, and Western Medical Equipment. He recently retired from the position of Staff Control Engineer at Lockheed Martin. 

Mr Cheng has worked on a large variety of systems including: F-5 fighter jets, Boeing 747s, various turbo-machines, TDRSS Satellites, laser weapons and designators, night vision technology, tanks, space sensors, missiles, communication satellites, computer animation and medical equipment. 

Mr. Cheng received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, and an MSME and EME from the University of Southern California.

Upcoming Membership Meeting: The Integrity of the Supply Chain in an Age of Globalization - Counterfeit Parts, A Systems Engineer's Nightmare!

Meeting Information

Speaker: George J. Vlay

Date: April 14, 2014

Time: 5:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Silicon Valley Campus (CMU), Moffett Field, CA

Summary

Counterfeit electrical, electronic and mechanical parts are flooding the marketplace.  More than a million counterfeit parts were found in military equipment.  National Defense Authorization Act-2011 requires contractors to certify all components meet all regulations.  Failures in a DOD program will require the prime contractor to replace and repair at their own expense.  Anticipated consequences of DOD, European Union and Russia include cracking down on counterfeit parts. 

All of the counterfeit parts will now find their way into civilian markets.  Automobile recalls, Lithium-Ion parts and the San Francisco Bay Bridge bolts will be reviewed.  Counterfeit software is allowing hackers to embed back doors for future access into personal, business and protected data. 

Best practices will be outlined with consequences for System Engineers.  A proof will be presented to understand the reliability of every part and material in a product.

Speaker Bio

Mr. George J. Vlay received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Buffalo (UB) in 1953, and further pursued his education at UB with graduate work in electronics and mathematics.  From 1956 to 1966 he held positions as Project Engineer with Aero Commander, Inc. in Norman, Oklahoma and with Sylvania Electronic Systems in Williamsville, New York.

George then joined Philco-Ford (renamed Ford Aerospace) in 1966 in Palo Alto, California, holding a number of increasing responsible positions:

• Joining the company as Manager of Communications Systems Activity, he was responsible for advanced communication satellite designs, large scale communication systems and ground terminal systems
•  As Director of Business Development & Planning, George was responsible for the Western Development Divisions 5/10 year Business Plan and Marketing Plans.
•  As Director of Technical Affairs with responsibility for the IR&D Program for plan, 5/10 year technology plans, mission analysis, proposal development, productivity and computer-aided design for engineering and manufacturing.
• As Director of Product Assurance he held responsibility for hardware and software Quality Assurance, reliability, test equipment and spacecraft and aerospace ground equipment environmental test equipment.
• His last assignment with Ford Aerospace was as Director of Systems Management, to review and improve the division’s processes to maintain the high reliability of the Divisions products.

Mr. Vlay then established Systems Management Associates, a consulting company to Space Systems Loral and electronics companies throughout Silicon Valley.  Although many contracts required confidentiality agreements, one program stands out:  The US Air Force embarked on a program to streamline the RFP process.  A team of 20 Air Force Officers and civilians were empowered to perform this task.  They also required industry participation and Mr. Vlay was selected as the CODSIA (Council of Defense and Space Industries Association) representative for this year-long program.  A very streamlined RFP process was developed and implemented by the US Air Force.

George Vlay has been an active participant in the following organizations:

• Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
•   Distinguished Lecturer for the AIAA
• Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
• Founding Member of the International Council of Systems Engineers
• Member of Pi Mu Epsilon, a National Honorary Mathematical Fraternity