CBM Flight Operations
A brief discussion of how the Common Berthing Mechanism is used in flight, along with a listing of operations on orbit. read more.
Classification In the Compilation Context
Most material from which parameterizations are extracted were not written to make that task easy. The idea of extracting and classifying engineering data (e.g., requirements) from such source material is described along with a candidate framework. read more.
Defining Functions
When presented with an operational task to be accomplished, End Users often lean toward using tools that they've used before, leading to certain biases in the description (and specification) of the designs. Yielding to that temptation can have deleterious effects on development. System Engineering practices use the abstract concept of a "function" to focus on mitigating such biases. read more.
Functional Flow Block Diagrams
Many techniques and formats have been developed (and used) to express functionality in systems. An extension of one legacy method is introduced here. Unlike many other approaches, the method requires neither any particular supporting software or sophisticated syntax. read more.
Major Developmental Decision Points
Most development projects can be abstracted as a series of decision points. A decision framework is provided here as a precursor to (somewhat abstract) discussion of a structured approach to development. read more.
Making Everything Right (The Orthogonality Problem)
Most of the time, System Engineers want to ensure that they're dealing with exactly one thing. The concept of "orthogonality" is borrowed from the abstract mathematics of topology for use as an organizational artifice. Being an abstraction, however, the pervasiveness of the idea isn't always immediately apparent. Several practical usage examples are discussed. read more.
Managing the Configuration
As typically used on real projects, Configuration Management (CM) keeps track of the Engineering data. It creates and manages that data in order to compare what we should be doing (or said we were doing) to what we actually did. CM is central to Engineering's ability to demonstrate the integrity of our development processes. read more.
Measuring Performance
Two different types of Performance Measures are defined and described. Their abstract characteristics permit the quantification of how well Functions are performed by the developed system. read more.
Models
The abstract concept of "model" is defined. Differences between classes of models of interest to System Engineering are described and discussed. read more.
On Being Traceable
A concept of traceability is described. The utility of the concept is briefly contrasted with alternative practices. read more.
Relational Table Criteria
Practical criteria are discussed for analyzing data in the context of Set Theory. Application of the concepts permits relationships between elements of the data (e.g., requirements) to be objectively audited, supporting the mitigation of cognitive biases. read more.
Requirements Compilation
Requirements often enter a project from more than one source, requiring compilation into a single coherent set. The process is supported by topical analysis and parameterization, which form the context for a detailed discussion of practical approaches to the problem. read more.
Surrogation
The concept of substituting one parameter or measure for another is introduced. The reasons for and circumstances pertinent to the practice are briefly described. read more.
TB Or Not TB
The types and handling of "known unknowns" are described. Techniques or their management during the developmental period are described. read more.
The CI Development Cycle (1 of 4): Preface
The CI Development Cycle is a set of processes at the foundation layer of verification. They're discussed "in the abstract" here, but when reviewed as concrete instances (e.g., during design peer review), they form a basis for mitigating the cognitive biases that might otherwise remain unaddressed during the development process. Part 1 of 4 parts on the subject. read more.
The CI Development Cycle (2 of 4): Introductory Discussion
The CI Development Cycle is a set of processes at the foundation layer of verification. They're discussed "in the abstract" here, but when reviewed as concrete instances (e.g., during design peer review), they form a basis for mitigating the cognitive biases that might otherwise remain unaddressed during the development process. Part 2 of 4 parts on the subject. read more.
The CI Development Cycle (3 of 4): Intermediate Discussion
The CI Development Cycle is a set of processes at the foundation layer of verification. They're discussed "in the abstract" here, but when reviewed as concrete instances (e.g., during design peer review), they form a basis for mitigating the cognitive biases that might otherwise remain unaddressed during the development process. Part 4 of 4 parts on the subject. read more.
The CI Development Cycle (4 of 4): Advanced Discussion
The CI Development Cycle is a set of processes at the foundation layer of verification. They're discussed "in the abstract" here, but when reviewed as concrete instances (e.g., during design peer review), they form a basis for mitigating the cognitive biases that might otherwise remain unaddressed during the development process. Part 4 of 4 parts on the subject. read more.
The Extended Verification Methods
It seems that the classical methods of verification do not adequately serve their intended purpose when employed using modern system developmental management methods. To rectify this apparent oversight, a more complete list of soon-to-be standard verification methods has been compiled. read more.
Topical Analysis
A "topic" is a qualitative descriptor of an object or process answering the "what is that about?" question in regard to a piece of un-structured information. Being qualitative, they are expressed with text rather than numbers: by definition, a topic cannot have a number directly related to it. The application of that concept to the gradual rendition of order from chaos is introduced as fundamental to System Engineering practice. read more.
Topical Parameterization, Part I: Individual Parameters
The practice of assigning quantifiable properties to topics is introduced and discussed in detail. Part 1 of 3 parts. read more.
Topical Parameterization, Part II: Sets of Parameters
The practice of assigning sets of quantifiable properties to topics is discussed in detail. Part 2 of 3 parts on parameterization in the System Engineering context. read more.
Topical Parameterization, Part III: Measures
The practice of assigning specific algorithms for calculating the values for quantifiable properties of topics is described. Part 3 of 3 parts on parameterization in the System Engineering context. read more.
Upon Evaluation
The abstract notion of a "value" is defined for the System Engineering context, with a mild support from certain topological principles. read more.
Vehicle Preconditioning
Principles of topical analysis are applied to a standard practice for the analysis of fuel efficiency. read more.
Verification Fundamentals
The concept and objective of Verification in the System Engineering context is introduced. The classical abstract "methods" are defined, along with the basic analytical process for assigning any given method to any given claim. read more.
Working with Requirements
The top-level types of requirements are defined and differentiated. read more.