Intelligent Transit and Transport Systems Building a systems engineering capability

Intelligent Transit andTransport Systems

Building a systems engineering capability

http://www.incose.org/


Eight key steps

• Clarifying the need• Knowing where you are starting from• Building the right foundations• Developing a balanced capability• Focussing on the people• Deciding where to get the people• Getting the right people• Managing the transformation



Clarifying the need

• SE is not a silver bullet• It needs to be tailored to

your situation• What specific problems

do you face?• What specific

opportunities do you wish to exploit?

• If you focus on the wrong issues – you will get the wrong SE



Clarifying the need

• What are you doing already?

• Better to build on existing practice than introducing something totally new

• Be honest – the process may be written down – but is it followed?



Building the right foundations (1)

• Implementing SE requires an organisation wide transformation programme

• Build the programme on solid foundations– Compelling need– Senior buy-in

• Incremental approach• Clear vision



Building the right foundations (2)

• A clear vision that explains– Why you need SE?– Why you don’t have it

already?– What you are going to do?– How you are going to do it?– Who is going to be

involved?– When is it going to happen

• Communicate, communicate and communicate



Developing a balanced capability

• You need to balance processes, people and tools

• It may be tempting to buy an expensive tool …

• … or write a perfect process

• But without the right people, processes and tools are useless



Focussing on the people (1)

• SE is a basic skill for all – and a specialism for a few

• You need knowledge, skills and attributes

• Specific experts?• Systems engineering

manager?• Systems engineering

champion?



Focussing on the people (2)

• Systems thinking is key• Critical thinking• Seeing things from

multiple perspectives• Seeing the links between

issues• Knowing how all systems

behave



In house or consultants

• No option is perfect• Do you need an SE

capability in the long term?

• Can you recruit and retain employees with the right competencies?

• Do you want to tie your supply chain into your SE effort?



Getting the right people

• Define what you want the SE to do – use a competence framework

• Test the candidates with realistic exercises

• Check their ability to build rapport and work in a team

• A little more effort up front will pay dividends



Managing the transformation (1)

• Introducing SE is a journey

• A large number of small steps is better than a few large leaps

• Trying to jump a maturity level is highly risky

• Start at the bottom – but plan to move quickly




• Senior management role is to set the vision; live the values; and remove obstacles

• Monitor progress and intervene to set things back on track

• Think about your behaviour – people will do what you do – not what you say






Intelligent Transportation and Transit Systems – applying Systems Engineering to Transport domains

http://www.incose.org/practice/techactivities/wg/itts/


Documents

Intelligent Transit and Transport Systems Building a systems engineering capability