# Presentation: 792309

## Systems Engineering

- “Understanding Where it Fits in Your Agency”

- a session in fhwa’s Systems Engineering t3 series
- aug. 02, 2007

## Presentation Overview

-  Purpose
-  Background
-  Systems Engineering (SE) in the Process
-  SE Challenges and Recommendations
-  Conclusions
-  Resources

##  Illustrate where, in an agency’s business processes and practices, to consider systems engineering

 Illuminate challenges to including systems engineering

 Provide recommendations on inclusion of systems engineering in your processes

-  Illuminate challenges to including systems engineering
-  Provide recommendations on inclusion of systems engineering in your processes

- Purpose of Session

##  National need for quality assurance and control in the ITS project delivery process
Planning
Deployment
Operations and Maintenance
 Federal philosophy on SE and ITS Projects
Make sure, place and time, the right system is proposed, implemented AND delivered on time and within budget

- Planning
- Deployment
- Operations and Maintenance
-  Federal philosophy on SE and ITS Projects
- Make sure, place and time, the right system is proposed, implemented AND delivered on time and within budget

- Systems Engineering Background

**Notes:**
Based on successful deployment of ITS projects, USDOT recognized a trend in challenges faced by state and local agencies.  Stove piped systems within the same TMC, multi-million dollar systems removed and replaced due to proprietary equipment and deployed ITS being poorly operated and maintained were just a few of the issues occurring on a national basis.

To address this, Federal government felt action was needed in the project delivery process that would ensure the right systems was being built; on time and within budget.  Qualifying the term “right system” meant meeting validated transportation needs in a region.  In addition, provisions on how deployed systems were operated and maintained needed to be a consideration.

##  ITS Final Rule Key Legislative Points
Regional Architecture Development
Use of ITS standards
Use of Systems Engineering in the project delivery process (23 CFR 940.11)

- Regional Architecture Development
- Use of ITS standards
- Use of Systems Engineering in the project delivery process (23 CFR 940.11)

- Systems Engineering Background

**Notes:**

Systems engineering is considered a critical part of the project delivery process.

## Is Systems Engineering Really New To Transportation

- Systems Engineering Background

## Not Really...

- Systems Engineering Background

- U.S. Interstate Highway **System **built using many systems engineering principles

**Notes:**
When we consider how the US Interstate Highway System was built we begin to see many familiar systems engineering principals and processes used in this effort.  Today, many of our local roads, many of the systems engineering principles can be found.

##  Systems Engineering and the Interstate
Started with a vision of the needs the interstate system would provide for
Required planning and stakeholder collaboration
Set requirements and standards for seamless connectivity
Led to design expectations and quality control and assurance
Incorporated operations and maintenance

- Started with a vision of the needs the interstate system would provide for
- Required planning and stakeholder collaboration
- Set requirements and standards for seamless connectivity
- Led to design expectations and quality control and assurance
- Incorporated operations and maintenance

- Systems Engineering Background

## “Many local programs are modeled after the same project delivery process used to build the Highway Interstate System”

## “Systems engineering may already be part of your Agency’s business processes”

**Notes:**
Perhaps not all SE elements, but clearly many agencies have been practicing key components of SE for many years in building local road and infrastructure projects.

##  What is meant by “mainstreaming” and “integrating systems engineering into your business processes and practices
Evaluation and selection within your formal project planning/program funding process
Formally addressing ITS in your project delivery documents

- Evaluation and selection within your formal project planning/program funding process
- Formally addressing ITS in your project delivery documents

- Where to Consider SE

##  Should address:
Project selection based on regional transportation merits and needs
Use similar quality assurance and control you apply on your traditional roadway projects

- Project selection based on regional transportation merits and needs
- Use similar quality assurance and control you apply on your traditional roadway projects

- Where to Consider SE

##  Ideally, systems engineering is specialized enough to have a separate group provide agency support full-time
For many agencies, frequency and level of ITS do not justify this level of support

- For many agencies, frequency and level of ITS do not justify this level of support

- Where to Consider SE

##  Planning and Program Funding
TIP/STIP 
 Design
 Procurement
Selecting the appropriate contract
 Implementation
Consider O&M and system upgrades/retirement

- TIP/STIP
-  Design
-  Procurement
- Selecting the appropriate contract
-  Implementation
- Consider O&M and system upgrades/retirement

- Where to Consider SE

## Where to Consider SE 

**Notes:**
A tool quickly being adopted by those embracing systems engineering is the systems engineering “V”.  The SE V graphically articulates the various activities and their inter-relationship in the project delivery process.  The V considers both system lifecycle as well as development considerations when planning, designing/implementing and operating/maintaining ITS projects.  

Lifecycle considerations include: how the project will impact neighboring stakeholders and their systems, responsibilities in operating and maintaining the system once it’s built and lastly, how minor and major changes (including replacement/disposal) to the system will be addressed.  System development considerations include: Making sure everyone is clear why the system is being deployed and the roles and responsibilities by stakeholders in the operations and maintenance of the system, specific functionality the system will employ, once built how agreement will be determined that the contracted system was delivered, and lastly how a self check to see if in practice the system is doing what we theoretically envisioned it to do.

## Where to Consider SE 

**Notes:**
When we map the traditional roadway planning, engineering, construction and O&M activities to the V you can see the similarities in relationship and .  

So what’s the difference between the two?  In contrast to the traditional roadway/infrastructure project approach, the SE processes is more geared towards managing increasingly complex ITS projects where deploying and integrating systems with different needs, functions, capabilities and resources are involved.  It does this by a number of different tools and processes not currently recognized in our traditional project management approaches.

##  Systems Engineering by the numbers
ITS Final Rule, 23 CFR 940.11 Compliance
Use of Regional ITS Architecture
Identify project roles and responsibilities
Define requirements
Conduct an alternative analysis
Address procurement options
Use of ITS standards
Operations and Maintenance

- ITS Final Rule, 23 CFR 940.11 Compliance
- Use of Regional ITS Architecture
- Identify project roles and responsibilities
- Define requirements
- Conduct an alternative analysis
- Address procurement options
- Use of ITS standards
- Operations and Maintenance

- Where to Consider SE

##  Institutional
Attitude that systems engineering is new. “Our way of doing it is fine”
Others within or among agencies may need assistance

 Resource Management
Knowledge and time. “Staff has enough to do without having something new to learn”
Long term operational and maintenance considerations

 Support
Contractor and professional services also just learning about SE

- Attitude that systems engineering is new. “Our way of doing it is fine”
- Others within or among agencies may need assistance
** ****Resource Management**
- Knowledge and time. “Staff has enough to do without having something new to learn”
- Long term operational and maintenance considerations
-  **Support**
- Contractor and professional services also just learning about SE

- Systems Engineering Challenges

**Notes:**
SE is not new to transportation.  It looks to achieve the same quality control and assurance we apply and expect on our traditional roadway projects.  While the concepts and principals needed to perform systems engineering are not new, what is new to folks are the tools and specific steps that need to be applied due to technology.

## Have a vision for your ITS projects/programs
Know what you have first
SE Process Improvement Review
Use existing processes if possible; modify as needed
 Risk management is key
Secure the right resources
Establish formal processes
When possible apply existing ones to ITS
Be prepared to add additional elements

- Know what you have first
- SE Process Improvement Review
- Use existing processes if possible; modify as needed
-  Risk management is key
- Secure the right resources
- Establish formal processes
- When possible apply existing ones to ITS
- Be prepared to add additional elements

- Recommendations

**Notes:**
Again, SE is not new.  Some of the project delivery processes you have in place today will meet many of the 940.11 requirements.

However, it is very likely that minor additions to existing processes and project delivery quality control/assurance documents will be needed, or people and resources will need to be added.

##  Systems engineering is already being done by many agencies
 Political, management and staff turn-over is inevitable
Institutionalizing systems engineer will reduce risk of selecting ITS projects that don’t meet their intended need and end up over budget and late

-  Political, management and staff turn-over is inevitable
- Institutionalizing systems engineer will reduce risk of selecting ITS projects that don’t meet their intended need and end up over budget and late

- Conclusions

**Notes:**
A common theme you’ll hear is that you’re agency is probably already doing systems engineering but calling it something else and not applying those same risk and quality control/assurance measures to ITS projects.

As political and management leave, there’s a great likely hood they’ll take with them many years of agency knowledge.  Not having formal documented procedures on how ITS projects are to be carried out may very well leave your ITS project at high risk of failure.

## Resources

- Contact FHWA Resource Center/Division Offices
- Systems Engineering Web Page (FHWA)
- 	_[http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/int_its_deployment/sys_eng.htm](http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/int_its_deployment/sys_eng.htm)__ _
- Lessons Learned Knowledge Resource (ITS JPO)
- 	_[http://www.itslessons.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/LessonSystemsEng](http://www.itslessons.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/LessonSystemsEng)__ _
- Archived T3 Webinars _[http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/T3/archives.asp](http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/T3/archives.asp)__ _
- California SE Guide Book _[http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/cadiv/segb](http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/cadiv/segb)__ _
- Guide to Contracting ITS Projects (NCHRP) _[http://www.trb.org/nchrp/its/index.htm](http://www.trb.org/nchrp/its/index.htm)__ _

##  Emiliano Lopez
Gateway Team Member
FHWA – Office of Operations
emiliano.lopez@fhwa.dot.gov
202.366.2199

- Gateway Team Member
- FHWA – Office of Operations
- _[emiliano.lopez@fhwa.dot.gov](mailto:emiliano.lopez@fhwa.dot.gov)_
- 202.366.2199

- For Presentation Information