7.%20Lessons%20Learned%20-%20Skimpy%20System%20Design

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Systems Teaching and Research at the Systems
Engineering and Evaluation Centre University of
South Australia  
Prof Stephen Cook Systems Engineering
and Evaluation Centre (SEEC) University of South
Australia http//www.seec.unisa.edu.au
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Outline

• The Australian postgraduate educational scene
• About UniSA
• The Australian education system and prevailing
  environment
• SEEC
• A new course on systems approaches to large-scale
  problem solving
• Summary

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The Australian Postgraduate Educational Scene

• Mass university education (30)
• Australia has modest RD base hence modest demand
  for postgraduate qualifications
• Management postgraduate qualifications (MBA)
  generally more attractive than technical ones
• Exception is government research laboratories
  where a PhD is mandatory to rise to senior
  positions

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About UniSA

• Formed in 1990 from the merger of
• SA Institute of Technology
• SA College of Advanced Education
• SA College of Art and Design
• One of three universities in Adelaide and the
  largest 30,000 students
• Only one active in Systems Engineering in SA
• Focussed on
• educating professionals
• working with industry
• serving the community
• Postgraduates15 of load
• Large numbers of overseas students

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Location Adelaide and Whyalla South Australia
State population 1.5 million, 1.0 million of whom
live in the capital Adelaide
University of SA
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A Long Way from the Nearest Large City (750 km)
Most students go to university in their own city
so the range of programs taught is very broad
University of SA
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The Australian Educational System - Undergraduate

• Follows the Scottish model
• Many degrees, BA, BSc, etc are three years most
  students leave university at this level
• Only selected students with better than Credit
  average are permitted to study for an extra year
  to gain honours, BSc(hons), etc
• Engineering is a minimum four year degree and
  honours comprises additional workload in final
  year for selected students
• Government employers keen on honours, industry
  ambivalent

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The Australian Educational System - Postgraduate

• Grad Cert (6 months coursework), GradDip (12
  months)
• Masters degrees come in two types
• Coursework with 20-66 research component 1.5
  years
• Research-only 2 years
• Entry to masters 4-year degree (at honours level
  or equivalent)
• PhDs in Australia follow the UK tradition
• Nominally 3 years, average 4.5 years
• Low number of eligible PhD students
• Entry requirements
• First class or upper division second class
  honours
• Masters

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Economic Environment

• Undergraduate
• No up-front fees for students
• Higher Education Contribution Scheme debt of
  around 5000 per year, plus interest
• Postgraduate coursework
• Now generally attract full fees (15 - 20k)
• Exception is where a masters is a base
  qualification to practise a profession
• Research degrees
• Attract no fees and HECS scholarships are the
  norm
• High achievers can also win living allowance
  scholarships for research degrees (16-21k tax
  free)
• Reductions in government funding over the last
  decade reduces scope for strategic initiatives

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Impact on Postgraduate Coursework

• Recent introduction of full fees for postgraduate
  coursework has killed demand
• Small postgraduate numbers in the technical areas
• Traditional coursework higher degrees financially
  unsustainable - many terminated
• Research degrees becoming predominant

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On a More Positive Note

• Australian Department of Defence has stated that
  it aims to have all senior officers educated to
  masters level
• Still some demand for coursework degrees
  particularly in industry where research degrees
  are not seen as relevant
• Larger companies and government are prepared to
  sponsor selected students
• The Defence Science and Technology Organisation
  and BAE SYSTEMS are beginning to sponsor
  postgraduate programs

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A Few Words About the Systems Engineering and
Evaluation Centre
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What is SEEC?

• One of 17 Supported Research Centres within the
  University of South Australia.
• Focuses on research and education in
• the creation and evaluation of large, engineered
  systems
• the organisations that undertake this function.

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SEEC Mission Statement

• To provide a national and international focus for
  collaborative research, investigative projects
  and education programs that address the design,
  creation, evolution and evaluation of complex,
  systems.

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What SEEC Core Activities

• Education in Systems Thinking, Systems
  Engineering and Test and Evaluation
• Cost-effective, collaborative research between
  industry and the university
• Training public and in-house courses
• Provision of informed advice through
• consultancies
• contract research
• brokering international knowledge and experts

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History
1999
1996
1992
1989
Australian Centre for Test and Evaluation
Sensor Science Engineering Group
Measurement Instrumentation Systems Centre
Systems Engineering and Evaluation Centre
External support ARDU ARC Industry DSTO Government
organisations Overseas
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Where We Focus
Layer 5 Socio-Economic Level
Layer 4 Supply Chain Level
Layer 3 Business Level
SEECs Focus
Layer 2 System Level
Layer 1 Product Level
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Staff
SEEC 1.0 1.0
1.0 0.4 1.0
1.0 1.0 0.6
1.0 0.2 0.1
1.0 1.0 0.2
1.0 1.0 0.6

• Prof Stephen Cook DSTO Professor of Systems
  Engineering
• A/Prof Joe Kasser DSTO Research Professor
• A/Prof Piet Beukman (coming Jan 2002)
• Mr Les Vencel Principal Consultant
• Mr David Harris Business Man Senior Research
  Fellow
• Mr Michael Harris Research and Project Manager
• Dr Sarim AL-Zubaidy Senior Research Fellow
• Dr Noel Sproles Senior Research Fellow
• Dr David Cropley Senior Lecturer
• Dr Tim Ferris Senior Lecturer
• Dr Jill Slay Senior Lecturer
• Mr Reuven Greenberg Visiting Senior Research
  Fellow
• Mr Anthony Pilgrim Associate Lecturer
• Mr William Scott Research Associate
• Mr Paul Bunnik Research Engineer
• Mrs Lyn Bussenschutt Office Manager
• Miss Mel Madex Administrative Officer

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Adjunct Staff and Associates

• Prof Peter Sydenham Professor of Systems
  Evaluation
• Prof Scot Allison
• Prof John Andersen
• Prof Garth Morgan
• Mr Ron Howard
• A/Prof Martin Burke
• Dr Robert Goodwin
• Mr Angus Massie
• Dr Les Doherty
• Mr Errol Lawson
• Mr Bob Taylor
• Mr Erik Sherwin
• Mr Viv Crouch

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SEEC is Significant

• 15 Academic staff
• plus 13 adjuncts
• 60 post-graduate students
• 14 PhD, 8 MEng(res)
• 40 MEng (c/w)
• Around A1.5 million pa external income
• Close operating links with Defence
• DSTO
• Dept of Defence
• Defence companies

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SEEC has a Broader Base than A Typical SE School

• Typical SE Centre Focuses on
• Post-graduate education
• Main client base is Defence/Aerospace
• Targets mid-level practitioners
• Teaches methodologies used by clients
• Built around standards (IEEE 1220, EIA 632 etc)
• Aims to produce graduates immediately useful to
  clients
• Minimal research

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SEEC Covers All of That and More...

• Major focus on Research
• Historically over half p/g awards are by research
• Primary Research focus on Enterprise-level
  systems
• Primarily, social (soft) systems
• Focused at highest level
• Force development
• Defence acquisition system

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and More...

• Strong research into socio-technical systems
  which create systems
• Support methods for dispersed SE teams
• Intelligent support for requirements generation
• On-line, intelligent repositories for corporate
  SE data
• Environments for force level SE

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and More...

• New research focus on socio-technical systems per
  se
• Aviation Systems Safety
• Generalisation into creation of super-safe
  socio-technical systems

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So SEEC is different

• SEEC carries out research in
• Large, social systems which acquire and use
  engineering systems
• Operation of systems which integrate people and
  technology
• Support tools for the socio-technical systems
  which create engineering systems
• Systems evaluation methodologies

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Research Areas
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Research Topics in Systems Engineering

• Systems Engineering Education
• Engineering methodologies for the acquisition and
  management of Advanced Concept Technology
  Demonstrator Facilities
• Tailoring systems engineering models and methods
  for light research satellites
• An enhanced systems engineering approach to
  sensor design
• The integration of COTS software into large
  research software systems environment
• A systems approach to audio engineering
• Maintenance database research and life-cycle
  costing prediction.

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Research Topics in Industrial Systems Engineering
Tools and Practice

• Tool integration for dispersed systems
  engineering design teams
• Increasing the effectiveness of distributed
  systems engineering design teams
• Software Metrics - A tool for improving the
  software development process
• The use of High-Level Architecture Simulators in
  Combat Systems Engineering
• AI tools for Requirements Elicitation and
  Management
• The Development of a Capability Maturing Model
  (CMM) Assessment Tool.

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Research Topics in Enterprise-Level Systems

• Systems approach to Defence strategic planning
• Systems approach to Defence capability
  development
• Action research within the Australian soldier
  combat system enhancement study
• Systems engineering process improvement for an
  acquisition organisation
• Achieving systemic information operations for
  Australian defence
• Systems approach to Force Structure determination
• Methods for the analysis of enterprise-level
  systems architectures
• The benefits of applying systems engineering to
  Defence acquisition.

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Research Topics in Systems Test and Evaluation

• Test and Evaluation policies and processes for
  the Australian Defence Organisation.
• Traceability cognition of test and evaluation
  process documents.
• Structured determination of measures of
  effectiveness.
• Software aid for automotive testing and
  evaluation.
• Operational TE practices for the Royal
  Australian Air Force.
• Climatology measurements through GPS occultation.
• Optimal generation of telemetry frame formats for
  aircraft testing.
• Correcting delay distortion in asynchronously
  sampled flight test telemetry signals.

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Research Topics in Air Transport Safety

• Analysis of accident and incident data
• Modelling of the air transport enterprise
• Modelling of the piloting system for commercial
  aircraft
• Building knowledge resources in this field
• Verify modelling through interaction with
  stakeholders

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A New Course in Systems Approaches to Large-scale
Problem Solving
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The DSTO Continuing Education Initiative (1)

• DSTO typically recruits
• 50 PhDs
• 50 Honours graduates
• The current environment has led to a 2080 mix
• Staff are more mobile and leave to burgeoning IT
  sector
• Customers are very highly qualified
• Stated aim is to encourage all staff to obtain an
  advanced masters degree which must contain
• Systems engineering for complex problem solving
• Research methods in a multidisciplinary
  environment

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The DSTO Continuing Education Initiative (2)

• Several streams will be offered initially, eg
• Science (chemistry, physics, materials)
• Telecommunications
• Systems engineering
• Mathematics
• Human sciences
• Operations Analysis
• DSTO pay all fees

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Example SE Syllabus

• Group A (Mandatory Core Subjects Grad Cert)
• Systems Engineering for Complex Problem Solving
  (SECPS)
• Systems Engineering Management
• Systems Engineering Analysis 1
• Systems Engineering Practice 1
• Group B (Core for Grad Dip, MEng)
• Research Methods in a Multidisciplinary
  Environment
• Principles of Test and Evaluation
• Electives (Select 2)
• Management of Small Systems Engineering Design
  Teams
• Advanced Test and Evaluation
• Modelling and Simulation for Systems Engineering
• Systems Engineering for Mobile Communications
• Requirements Engineering
• Systems Engineering Practice 2
• Systems Engineering Analysis 2
• Soft Systems Methodology
• Minor Thesis

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SECPS

• Evolved from Principles of Systems Engineering
  to
• Introduce systems concepts to professional staff
  across the organisation at all levels of
  experience.
• Cover systems practice from equipment development
  through to organisational interventions.
• Challenge the hard science installed culture of
  the client organisation.
• Be suitable for graduates of all disciplines.
• Be acceptable to university departments around
  Australia as a component of advanced masters
  programs in disciplines such as mathematics,
  physics, information technology, and operational
  analysis.

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Course Design Philosophy

• Introduce systems concepts via systems thinking.
• Show that systems thinking can provide valuable
  insight into complex entities of many types.
• Show there is a range of systems methodologies
  available to cover a range of systems problems.
• Introduce traditional Systems Engineering, the
  most prevalent of these.
• Develop some systems engineering skills and
  understanding through tutorial work and a major
  assignment.
• Promote deep learning and functional knowledge
  through a combination of declarative, procedural
  and conditional knowledge.

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SECPS Outline

• SECPS Schedule

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Feedback To Date

• Taught class of 40 in Adelaide and 10 in
  Melbourne
• Age 21 60
• Technical Officers to Senior Research Scientists
• Generally liked the course, the more senior
  people really appreciated the theory-based
  approach (F, M and A)
• Awaiting assignments

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Personal Insights

• Writing this course has broadened my
  understanding considerably
• After nearly six years I am beginning to piece
  together a systems thinking framework that can
  underpin both engineering and management systems
  approaches
• Systems approaches can also be characterised by
  their persistence in the problem domain.
• mainstream management methodology
• intervention
• Still have some way to go to fully appreciate the
  field and SEEC would be pleased to work with the
  international research community on systems
  thinking and practice research