Systems Engineering Commons^™

Degrader Analysis For Diagnostic And Predictive Capabilities: A Demonstration Of Progress In Dod Cbm+ Initiatives, William Baker, Steven Nixon, Jeffrey Banks, Karl Reichard, Kaitlynn Castelle

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents a modified reliability centered maintenance (RCM) methodology developed by The Applied Research Laboratory at The Pennsylvania State University (ARL Penn State) to meet challenges in decreasing life cycle sustainment costs for critical Naval assets. The focus of this paper is on the requirements for the development of the on-board Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) system with a discussion on the implementation progress for two systems: the high pressure air compressor (HPAC), and the advanced carbon dioxide removal unit (ACRU). Recent Department of Defense (DoD) guidance calls for implementing Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) as an alternative to traditional …

A Governance Perspective For System-Of-Systems, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, Charles B. Keating, James A. Bobo, Tyrone S. Toland

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The operating landscape of 21st century systems is characteristically ambiguous, emergent, and uncertain. These characteristics affect the capacity and performance of engineered systems/enterprises. In response, there are increasing calls for multidisciplinary approaches capable of confronting increasingly ambiguous, emergent, and uncertain systems. System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) is an example of such an approach. A key aspect of SoSE is the coordination and the integration of systems to enable ‘system-of-systems’ capabilities greater than the sum of the capabilities of the constituent systems. However, there is a lack of qualitative studies exploring how coordination and integration are achieved. The objective of this …

Framework For Improving Complex System Performance, Charles B. Keating, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, Ra'ed Jaradat, Joseph M. Bradley, Richard Hodge

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper introduces a framework for improvement of complex system performance. Complex systems are besieged with conditions marked by increasing uncertainty, emergence, and ambiguity. Additionally, demands for increased productivity, resource efficiencies, and performance improvement make new approaches paramount for modern systems engineers. In response, a framework to improve complex system performance is developed. Following an introduction, the paper pursues four objectives: (1) introduction of Complex System Governance (CSG) as a foundation to describe essential system functions, (2) suggest system `pathologies' as an explanation for deep system performance issues, (3) exploration of system performance improvement as a function of `requisite variety' …

Development Of A New Instrument To Assess The Performance Of Systems Engineers, Niamat Ullah Ibne Hossain, Morteza Nagahi, Raed Jaradat, Charles Keating

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Complex systems continue to confound the capabilities of systems engineers to deal with and navigate a new generation of problems. Thus, there is an emerging need to develop a cadre of effective systems engineers capable of efficiently addressing complex systems problems. This paper introduces a new system engineering instrument that assesses the performance of systems engineers. The instrument is based on the set of performance indicators examining six fundamental system engineering attributes. This instrument would provide a baseline to understand the current state of the systems engineering skills for a systems engineer and indicate developmental areas to enhance those skills. …

An Attribute Agreement Method For Hfacs Inter-Rater Reliability Assessment, Teddy Steven Cotter, Veysel Yesilbas

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Inter-rater reliability can be regarded as the degree of agreement among raters on a given item or a circumstance. Multiple approaches have been taken to estimate and improve inter-rater reliability of the United States Department of Defense Human Factors Analysis and Classification System used by trained accident investigators. In this study, three trained instructor pilots used the DoD-HFACS to classify 347 U.S. Air Force Accident Investigation Board (AIB) Class-A reports between the years of 2000 and 2013. The overall method consisted of four steps: (1) train on HFACS definitions, (2) verify rating reliability, (3) rate HFACS reports, and (4) random …

A Proposed Taxonomy For The Systems Statistical Engineering Body Of Knowledge, Teddy Steven Cotter

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

In the ASEM-IAC 2012, Cotter (2012) identified the gaps in knowledge that statistical engineering needs to address, explored additional gaps in knowledge not addressed in the prior works, and set forth a working definition of and body of knowledge for statistical engineering. In the ASEM-IAC 2015, Cotter (2015) proposed a systemic causal Bayesian hierarchical model that addressed the knowledge gap needed to integrate deterministic mathematical engineering causal models within a stochastic framework. Missing, however, is the framework for specifying the hierarchical qualitative systems structures necessary and sufficient for specifying systemic causal Bayesian hierarchical models. In the ASEM-IAC 2016, Cotter (2016) …

Systems Statistical Engineering – Systems Hierarchical Constraint Propagation, Teddy Steven Cotter, Peggy A. Quigley

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Cotter (ASEM-IAC 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017): (1) identified the gaps in knowledge that statistical engineering needed to address and set forth a working definition of and body of knowledge for statistical engineering; (2) proposed a systemic causal Bayesian hierarchical model that addressed the knowledge gap needed to integrate deterministic mathematical engineering causal models within a stochastic framework; (3) specified the modeling methodology through which statistical engineering models could be developed, diagnosed, and applied to predict systemic mission performance; and (4) proposed revisions to and integration of IDEF0 as the framework for developing hierarchical qualitative systems models. In the last work, …

A Method For Identification, Representation, And Assessment Of Complex System Pathologies In Acquisition Programs, Charles B. Keating, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, Keith F. Joiner, Joseph M. Bradley, Raed M. Jaradat

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Acquisition programs continue to struggle with increasing complexity. High degrees of emergence, interconnectedness, and uncertainty are the norm rather than exception. The purpose of this research is to explore extension of ongoing research in complex system pathologies for acquisition programs. Significant advances have been made in development of deeper understanding of the nature of pathologies (deviations from healthy system function) and their implications for performance of complex systems. Complex system pathologies represent violations of underlying system principles. These violations negatively affect system governance functions (control, oversight, accountability) resulting in degradation of system performance. Greater understanding of complex system pathologies offers …

A Systems Theory Based Examination Of Failure In Acquisition System Reform, Charles B. Keating, Joseph M. Bradley, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, Craig Arndt

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The defense acquisition system has been the source of intense scrutiny and calls for reform for over four decades. This research is to examine the contributions of Systems Theory to enhance prospects related to acquisition reform. Systems Theory offers a set of principles, laws, and concepts that explain the behavior of complex systems. Although the acquisition system and constituent programs have been critiqued and examined from multiple perspectives, they have never been the subject of exploration from Systems Theory. Recent advances in Systems Theory have identified 83 different potential system pathologies that can result in degraded system performance or outright …

Chapter 7: Human View, Holly A.H. Handley

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Systems-Based Framework For Design And Analysis Of An R And D Structure, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, Charles B. Keating, Luna M. Magpili

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

A critical challenge for managerial effectiveness and competitive advantage in research and development (R and D) organizations is developing an appropriate structural configuration. However, in finding an appropriate structural configuration, R and D managers are faced with unprecedented levels of uncertainty, ambiguity, and accelerating complexity, coupled with demands for increased productivity. This paper develops a systems-based framework to support rigorous design, analysis, and transformation of the structure for R and D organizations. The framework development includes: (1) a review of the literature for the nature and role of the structure in R and D management; (2) setting of the R …

Complex Adaptive Behavior Of Hybrid Teams, Mustafa Canan, Andres Sousa-Poza, Anthony Dean

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The challenges in uncertain, dynamic and complex military operation environments exceed the problem-solving capabilities of individuals. Problem-solving has become a team task. These [hybrid] teams, which typically include machine and human elements, utilize autonomy and artificial intelligence to enhance the quality of actionable information and decision-making capabilities in solving complex problems. For this to be effective, shared mental models must be developed by teams. This demands adaptive behavior of team members to establish a common understanding, and its members to respond to the changes in complex dynamic environments.

In this paper, we introduce a mathematical formalization of an interaction platform …

Integrating Idef0 Into A Systems Framework For Statistical Engineering, Teddy Steven Cotter

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Driven by a growing requirement during the 21st century for the integration of rigorous statistical analyses in engineering research, there has been a movement within the statistics and quality communities to evolve a unified statistical engineering body of knowledge (Horel and Snee, 2010; Anderson-Cook, 2012). Outside of the 2014 Statistical Engineering Agreement among the ASQ Statistics Division, DOT&E, NASA, and IDA, there has been little formal progress toward this goal since the May 2011 NASA Symposium on Statistical Engineering in Williamsburg Virginia. In the ASEM-IAC 2012, Cotter (2012) identified the gaps in knowledge that statistical engineering needs to address, explored …

Cockpit In The Systems Engineering Lenses, Aysen K. Taylor, Charles B. Keating, T. Steven Cotter

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The commercial transport aircraft of today vary greatly from early aircraft in regards to how they are controlled and the feedback provided from the machine to the human operator. Automation has improved operational precision and efficiency but at the cost of providing less feedback. Pilots are the last line of defense and current technology cannot provide the human ability to solve novel problems for which no computer logic can be written. The automated cockpits of today have may sub-components that interact in a manner often opaque and unpredictable when a sensor or sub-component fails or even in situations where no …

The Complementary Perspective Of System Of Systems In Collaboration, Integration, And Logistics: A Value-Chain Based Paradigm Of Supply Chain Management, Raed Jaradat, Frank Adams, Sawsan Abutabenjeh, Charles Keating

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The importance and complexity of the problems associated with coordinating multiple organizations to configure value propositions for customers has drawn the attention of multiple disciplines. In an effort to clarify and consolidate terms, this conceptual research examines both supply chain management (SCM) and system of systems (SoS) literature to postulate, from a value-chain perspective, what roles integration and collaboration play in helping supply chains satisfy customer requirements. A literature review analysis was used to identify the commonalities and differences between supply chain management and system of systems approaches to examining interfirm coordination of value creation efforts. Although a framework of …

A Systems Theoretic-Based Framework To Discover Pathologies In Acquisition System Governance, Charles B. Keating, Joseph M. Bradley, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, Ra'ed M. Jaradat

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The acquisition field continues to face increasing pressures to perform under conditions of escalating complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity. These conditions suggest that traditional approaches, practices, and acquisition technologies might be incongruent with support demands for acquisition practitioners. This research is focused on exploiting and extending recent developments in Complex System Governance (CSG) to advance the acquisition field. CSG is focused on the design, execution, and evolution of fundamental system functions necessary for control, communications, coordination, and integration of complex systems (e.g., acquisition). CSG is based in Systems Theory (fundamental laws governing complex systems), Management Cybernetics (the science of effective system …

Systemic Intervention For Complex System Governance Development, Charles B. Keating, Polinpapilinho F. Katina,, John C. Pyne, Ra’Ed M. Jaradat

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper explores the issues related to systemic intervention for Complex System Governance (CSG) development. Systemic intervention seeks to intentionally engage a system to influence trajectory or outcomes. CSG is an emerging field focused on the design, execution, and evolution of the functions necessary to provide continued system performance (stability) in the midst of incessant turbulence and increasing complexity. Integral to this field is the necessity to ‘intervene’ in a complex system to enhance system behavior, structure, or performance. Arguably, system interventions have an unremarkable record of success, ranging from declared success in improving a situation (system) to abysmal failure …

Human-Intelligence/Machine-Intelligence Decision Governance: An Analysis From Ontological Point Of View, Faisal Mahmud, Teddy Steven Cotter

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The increasing CPU power and memory capacity of computers, and now computing appliances, in the 21st century has allowed accelerated integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into organizational processes and everyday life. Artificial intelligence can now be found in a wide range of organizational processes including medical diagnosis, automated stock trading, integrated robotic production systems, telecommunications routing systems, and automobile fuzzy logic controllers. Self-driving automobiles are just the latest extension of AI. This thrust of AI into organizations and everyday life rests on the AI community’s unstated assumption that “…every aspect of human learning and intelligence could be so precisely described …

Simulation And Optimization Of Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm For The Stochiastic Uncapacitated Location-Allocation Problem, Jean-Paul Arnaout, Georges Arnaout, John El Khoury

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This study proposes a novel methodology towards using ant colony optimization (ACO) with stochastic demand. In particular, an optimizationsimulation-optimization approach is used to solve the Stochastic uncapacitated location-allocation problem with an unknown number of facilities, and an objective of minimizing the fixed and transportation costs. ACO is modeled using discrete event simulation to capture the randomness of customers’ demand, and its objective is to optimize the costs. On the other hand, the simulated ACO’s parameters are also optimized to guarantee superior solutions. This approach’s performance is evaluated by comparing its solutions to the ones obtained using deterministic data. The results …

Modeling Social, Economic, Technical & Environmental Components In An Energy System, Ange-Lionel Toba, Mamadou Seck

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Energy system models have become the main supporting tool for energy policy. Modern challenges in energy policy require energy systems models that integrate technical, environmental and societal aspects of the energy systems. In this paper, we introduce a conceptual model for an energy system model that specifies the relationships between social, technical, environmental, and economic aspects of an energy system. This conceptual model presented in the IDEF0 language will serve as a basis for a computational energy systems model. © 2016 The Authors.

Energy Sustainability Of Turkey In The Case Of Lng, Omer Ilker Poyraz, Omer Keskin, Resit Unal

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Energy is both vital and strategic element for a nation to sustain its fundamental activities like security, logistics, heating, etc. Countries sustain their energy demands through internal or external sources. In the case of not being able to maintain energy demands from their internal sources, they would need to import their requirements. Whenever they need to buy raw materials, they have to build terminals to process the raw material into the required form. The dependency on the imports may cause the importing country to weaken its advantage in international conflicts, unemployment, and welfare. Therefore, countries aim to mitigate dependence to …

Development Of An Instrument To Assess Capacity For Systems Thinking, Kaitlynn M. Castelle, Raed M. Jaradat

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

With the rapid growth and integration in technology and information, the behavior and structure of complex systems presents escalating challenges. Complex systems are marked by high level of ambiguity, uncertainty, and emergence. These conditions impose challenges and difficulties for practitioners responsible to successfully manage and design complex systems. There is a fundamental need to have a cadre of individuals who are capable of dealing with increasingly complex systems and their problems. One response is Systems Thinking, which can provide a holistic thinking paradigm that opens new channels and opportunities to think differently about complex systems as a whole unit. This …

Systemic Analysis Of Complex System Governance For Acquisition, Charles B. Keating, Joseph M. Bradley, Polinpapilinho F. Katina

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to explore Complex System Governance (CSG) issues related to systemic analysis of acquisition systems. CSG is an emerging field focused on the design, execution, and evolution of the functions necessary to provide continued system performance (stability) in the midst of incessant turbulence and increasing complexity. Integral to this field is the necessity to engage systems to address behavior or performance that is inconsistent with that which is desired. Systemic analysis for CSG serves to examine a system to discover fundamental system issues (e.g. acquisition). Arguably, system acquisition has an unremarkable record of success, ranging …

Complex System Governance For Acquisition, Joseph Bradley, Polinpapilinho Katina, Charles Keating

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

As acquisition processes have become more complex, they appear to no longer be governable by traditional approaches. Missed budgets, delayed deliveries, and expensive canceled systems appear to becoming more prevalent. Numerous investigations have been conducted attempting to elicit the factors that prevented success. Those systems that succeed in terms of usability, budget, and delivery schedule are the rarity and often become case studies themselves as we try to extract the characteristics that differentiate success from failure. A different viewpoint is to look at the acquisition system from the perspective of Complex Systems Governance (CSG). Recent developments in the field of …

The Role Of 'Metasystem' In Engineering A System Of Systems, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, Charles B. Keating, Joseph M. Bradley

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Fundamentally, a system of systems is characterized by operational independence, managerial independence, evolutionary development, emergent behavior, and geographical distribution. However, value-wise, a system of systems should provide greater capability beyond that which individual systems can provide. Enabling this greater capability has to be purposely designed for and managed. In this paper, we argue that this is the primary role of the metasystem structure and its execution. A metasystem is a governing structure that provides coordination and integration of multiple systems, brought together to achieve overarching missions and functions beyond those of the constituent systems. This paper articulates the differences between …

Warrior Information Network- Tactical Human View Models & Analysis, Holly A. H. Handley, Cansu Kandemir, Elnaz Dario

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The Human View collects and categorizes data to provide information and analyses on the human component of a system. This organization of human system data helps to understand what the impact of the technology on human performance may be. The first phase of this project completed exploratory work on different Human View techniques in the context of the Warrior Information Network - Tactical (WIN-T) system. This included creating a high-level diagram to provide a conceptual realization of a General Purpose User (GPU) interacting with the WIN-T system, creating engineering diagrams using the System Modeling Language (SysML) to render the Human …

Analyzing Stakeholders Using Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping, Patrick T. Hester

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Stakeholder analysis was first explored as a methodology to assist business leaders with their strategic management functions. Stakeholder analysis has since expanded beyond the corporate arena. Stakeholders are a vital element in all complex systems problems; they are the customers, users, clients, suppliers, employees, regulators, and team members of a system. They fund a system, design it, build it, operate it, maintain it, and dispose of it. Each stakeholder contributes their own value-added perspective, as described by the systems principle known as complementarity. While many approaches exist for classifying and determining their attitudes, these approaches stop short of evaluating stakeholders …

Reducing Uncertainty In Technology Selection For Long Life Cycle Engineering Designs, Halil I. Ozdemir, C. Ariel Pinto, Resit Unal, Charles B. Keating, Colin Britcher, Sila Çetinkaya (Ed.), J. K. Ryan (Ed.)

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The best capabilities are usually achieved by having the latest technologies in defense systems. However, including the new, usually immature, technologies in a system design does not always easily result in achieving the capabilities at the right level, at an affordable cost, and in a timely manner. Many programs have suffered from immature technologies as cost overruns, late or no deliveries, and poor performance levels. Another impact of technology selection appears as obsolescence after the deployment of systems, or even before the deployment of the system. As the technologies of a system become obsolete, the cost of maintaining the system …

Challenges For Developing Complex System Governance, Charles B. Keating, Polinpaplinho F. Katina, Joseph M. Bradley, Sila Çetinkaya (Ed.), J. K. Ryan (Ed.)

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper examines the challenges and practice implications for Complex System Governance (CSG). CSG is presented as an emerging field focused on the design, execution, and evolution of the higher order (metasystem) functions necessary to provide control, communication, coordination, and integration of a complex system. This paper is focused on three primary objectives. First, we introduce the complex system problem domain that the CSG field is being designed to address. The pervasiveness of this problem domain is demonstrated by a short examination of the water utilities sector. Second, we expound the nature of CSG and an emerging reference model …

Learning By Doing - Energy Systems Management, Nima Shahriari, Adrian V. Gheorghe

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Climate change concerns have confronted energy policy makers by unprecedented challenges in the 21st century. Revolution of renewable energy technologies, as well as more efficient energy systems, has been promising in the context of global warming. However, these technologies are not maturing and chaning. Consequently planning for development of these resources requires dealing with various multidisciplinary research questions such as financial feasibility of renewable energy projects. Nevertheless, there is considerable lack of education programs offering multidisciplinary approach for addressing the current energy challenges. Based on the 21st evolving energy landscape, an interdisciplinary graduate certificate course work was designed at Old …