2007 UK Spring Conference Programme
 16-18^th April 2007 at the Swindon Marriott

Conference Programme - Day 1, Tuesday 17^th April 2007

08:00 - 09:00 Registration

09:00 - 9:10 Opening Remarks - Andrew Farncombe, INCOSE UK Technical Director

09:10 - 12:30 A Vision for the Future of Systems Engineering

09:10 The Future of Systems Engineering involves the past, Allen Fairbairn, John Boardman Associates Ltd

Systems Engineering has achieved a great deal in 50 odd years of history. However, this paper asserts that its development has been skewed, focusing too much on the “Engineering” side, and that the discipline is now struggling with challenges of greater complexity, increasing stakeholder demands and incremental, whole life performance. The controversial answer explored by the paper is to revisit the “Systems” side and synergise new “Systems+Engineering” techniques. “Never forget where you came from”

09:50 Systems Engineering for the 21st Century,  Professor Derek Hitchins

A broad overview of Systems Engineering developments to date, peaks, troughs, and deviations, leading to a projection into the future, looking not  only at Systems Engineering in the 21st Century but at who will need it, want it and use it - and for what. The future, it seems, can be quite rosy, but only if we widen out horizons and raise our game!

11:00  Where is standardisation guiding us?  Stuart Arnold, QinetiQ

From the point of view of standardisation this paper addresses how Systems Engineering is evolving to meet future challenges. It considers why standards have contributed to the advancement of Systems Engineering and why they are likely to remain influential. It outlines the role that INCOSE is playing in the standards arena, and look at the benefits this brings to Systems Engineering and INCOSE members. Finally, it presents a prognosis of how standards are likely to evolve over the next one and a half decades – the period that INCOSE’s Systems Engineering Vision 2020 is considering – and explores what the effects of this may be on the practice.

11:45 Identifying and Developing 'Systems People', Barbara Busby and Louise Martingale, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL)

To deliver the military capabilities the UK needs for the 21st century, MOD will need more complex, more highly integrated, and more affordable systems. This will present testing intellectual and technical systems design challenges and growing scientists, technologists and engineers capable of meeting these challenges will be critical to success. Barbara will talk about the steps the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has taken to prepare itself in terms of identifying and  developing "systems people" with the right "systems skills" in the numbers needed.

13:30 - 17:00 Best Practice Part 1: Systems Engineering Applications

13:30 Mitigating Risk on the East London Line Project through the Management of Technical Requirements and Interfaces, Richard Hickman and Roger Moorey, Transport for London and Parsons Brinckerhof

The East London Railway will form a vital part of the London Overground network, linking the existing North London Railway with the Network Rail line from New Cross Gate to Crystal Palace and West Croydon, which will require extensive modification of the existing London Underground East London Line that runs through Brunel's Thames Tunnel. In this paper we will explain some of the innovative system engineering practices being used to manage the complex technical and organisational challenges, with particular focus on the way we have managed the progressive development of a comprehensive set of requirements and interface definitions to mitigate the technical risk.

14:15 Making light work of dark science by incorporation of Systems Engineering within Astronomy Telescope and Science Instrument Projects, Dr Hermine Schnetler, UK Astronomy Technology Centre 

This paper explores the current status of Systems Engineering in Astronomy. It gives an illustrated overview of how Systems Engineering, the advances in technology and the globalisation of our scientific resources are technically managed to build the telescopes and instrumentation required to assist in answering the big scientific questions about the universe. The paper also shows how innovation and creativity can be promoted and highlights the synergy between Systems Engineering and innovation.

15:30 Cooling the Tube - Taking the heat out of the London Underground network, Mark Gilbey, Jonathan Harding and Derek Price, Parsons Brinckerhoff

The Tunnel Cooling Programme (TCP) has been instigated to provide solutions to improve thermal conditions on the London Underground network. The TCP goal is to improve passenger comfort and safety by maintaining 29°C station temperatures in time for the line upgrade programme between 2012 and 2019. This presentation looks at the interconnected nature of heat flow across the underground network and its stations. It then describes the TCP approach to understanding and defining the cooling requirements, translating cooling requirements into delivery projects, and the various types of solutions under consideration.

16:10 Combining Innovation Management and Systems Engineering in the Concept Phase, Andrew Crolla, Andy Nidd and Dr Mike Wilkinson, Advantage Technical Consulting Limited

Systems are becoming broader and complexity is increasing. At the same time, there is increasing pressure for solutions to be innovative and to deliver tangible business benefits. This paper describes how innovation management and Systems Engineering can be combined by building on an ‘architecting’ paradigm for the early stages of the system lifecycle.

17:00 Interactive Workshop (Registration Required), Professor Philip M’Pherson

The Contributions of Systems Engineering Practice to Systems Engineering Value

Dinner will be served at 20:00 hrs.

Lunch will be at 12.30 and refreshments at 10.30 and 15.00 approx.

Conference Programme - Day 2, Wednesday 18^th April 2007

09:10 - 11:00 The role of Architecture in Systems Engineering

09:10 What does a System Architect do (that a Systems Engineer doesn’t)?, Paul Davies, Thales

What constitutes System Architecting, over and above the art and science of mapping a design solution to a set of equipment requirements? This has been the subject of many an evening discussion at Systems Engineering events, and here is a capture of some of the views and rationale. In particular, it covers the extension of the Systems Engineering toolbox necessary to cope with multiple Lines of Development, and the ‘soft’ issues where the true requirements are unknown, incompletely formulated, or tradable.

09:50 MODAF - Recent Developments,  Mike Phipps and Dr Peter Bryant, LogicaCMG

MODAF is the MOD's Enterprise Architecture Framework that will be rebaselined in March or April 2007. This paper will provide an insight into the drivers for recent changes to MODAF from one of those directly involved.

11:00 - 12:30 Extending the Reach of Systems Engineering

11:00 The brontosaurus of complexity - teaching Systems Engineering at an undergraduate level, Dr Jon Holt, Brass Bullet Ltd and University of Wales, Swansea

Teaching Systems Engineering to people with little or no real-life experience such as students can be problematic. Not only is it difficult to impart several key concepts, it is also very difficult to find examples of projects that students can relate to and understand fully. This paper presents a case study of current teaching methods that are employed to teach undergraduate and Masters-level students, including the nature of complexity, learning by linking systems, life cycles and processes with an underlying dinosaur theme.

11:45 Systems Engineering in non-traditional domains. What works and what is challenging to implement., Dr Barbara L Jones, ConsultantQ

Large organisations like defence and aerospace are arguably mature in their system engineering processes. It is assumed that many Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) do not practise Systems Engineering. However, results indicate that some of them do have quite mature processes in place within part of the Systems Engineering life-cycle. By analysing which are the mature processes in these successful industries it is possible to see where further development is required and what if any could be ported to the more traditional Systems Engineering organisations. It can also be seen from these results what process models are likely to be affected by introducing new and improved processes within the life cycle.

13:30 - 16:55  Best Practice part 2: Systems Engineering Processes

13:30 Acquiring Adaptable Systems Ted Dowling, QinetiQ

Systems that are adaptable over an extended period are of interest in many fields. This paper describes the work done in MOD's TIMPA (Technology Insertion Major Programme Area) research project to understand the issues and to develop appropriate processes, metrics, etc, supporting the principles of Through Life Capability Management.

14:15 Trade Space Method for Capability and Lines of Development Rosie Oliver, QinetiQ

This novel method was developed and used in response to the Defence Industrial Strategy. It considers whole life and whole system aspects of equipment projects at their outset. Its basis is a structural analytical framework to support decisions about all Defence Lines of Development such as personnel and infrastructure. This framework extends naturally to more contextual constraints and enablers like safety/environment and research.

15:30 'Left-shift' v. The Time Value of Money Dr Michael Emes, Professor Alan Smith and Dr Ady James, University College London Centre for Systems Engineering

Systems Engineers know the value of planning ahead. We know that spending a bit more in the early stages of a project will reduce the cost incurred due to unanticipated problems later on. So why don't project managers understand this? In fact, their scepticism may be well-founded. We have developed a model that explains the conditions under which 'leftshifting' the effort in a project adds value, and exposes circumstances when Systems Engineering may be impractical or poor value for money.

16:10 Putting the User Back Into SysML and MoDAF Matthew Hause and Francis Thom, ARTiSAN

Specifying the appropriate characteristics of the Human Computer Interface (HCI) is crucial to the correct implementation of the system. Unfortunately, the definition of the user interface, functional requirements and the system structure are tasks that are often done in parallel and are disconnected from one another resulting in unusable systems. By integrating these activities into a single model, a clear view of the task, environment and personnel can be created, thus ensuring that the HCI is fit for purpose. This paper will look at SysML and DoDAF/MoDAF (MAF) and how they contribute towards defining the parameters in which the HCI will take place.

16:55 President’s Closing Remarks, Andrew Daw, , President INCOSE UK

17:00 Interactive Workshop (If Tuesday workshop over-subscribed),  Professor Philip M’Pherson

The Contributions of Systems Engineering Practice to Systems Engineering Value

Lunch will be at 12.30 and refreshments at 10.30 and 15.00 approx.