CPDA Programme 2005
Module D6: Foundations of Systems Engineering
Post Module Assignment
You are required to write a 5000 word (+- 10%) report on the following tasks.
Task 1 (30% - approx 1500 words)
Report on the current state of Systems Engineering in your organisation. You may focus on the entire organization or a particular part of it. Your main task is to identify, and assess the extent and effectiveness of, Systems Engineering practice(s) in your organization. If ‘Systems Engineering’ is not a familiar term, or interpreted differently, in your work context, choose what you take to be the closest equivalent practice. Drawing on what you have learnt about Systems Engineering from the course or elsewhere, give an account which includes mention of key methods and tools in use, and also of the conceptual and management frameworks which bind them together. Try to bring out the systemic (holistic) and systematic features of the practice. You may find it useful to illustrate your points by using particular projects as examples. Make sure to list and cite any references properlyusing the Harvard referencing system. Guidance is available form the UWE library. Although this assignment is a self-contained piece of work, it would make sense to be on the lookout, while you are doing it, for projects or other aspects of the application of Systems Engineering which might be suitable for deeper study in the second assignment.
If it is difficult to relate this task to your own organisation, you may use the Beagle 2 as a case study, whose systems engineering practices are revealed in a number of public documents, notably the European Space agency report, the House of Commons select committee report and the Beagle 2 teams own internal report. Links to all these reports and press coverage can be found on the D6 web site:
Assessment Criteria
35% of marks will be awarded for your identification and description of Systems Engineering practice in your organization. Your target here is to present a clear and interesting account which gives a good and comprehensible overview for an external reader.
35% of marks will be awarded for your critical assessment of the extent and effectiveness of systems engineering practice in your organization. Your aim here is to present an honest and balanced critique of current developmental and operational practices from a Systems Engineering perspective. Concentrate on what actually happens, both formal and informal, in real projects, rather than presenting an idealized picture.
15% of marks will be awarded for the structure of your argument. We will be looking here at how you have organized your report, how well the argument flows through it, and how cohesive the work as a whole seems.
15% of marks will be awarded for presentation. We expect a word-processed report without spelling or grammatical errors, within the word limits, appropriately referenced, and presented clearly without gimmicks or fragmentation (e.g., sub-sub-sections, or too many bulleted lists). By all means use diagrams where appropriate, but stay clear of the eye-catching cover!
Task 2 (70% of the marks – about 3500 words)
Report on the implementation of systems engineering practices in your organisation.
a) You should identify one systems engineering practice which is undergoing change in your organisation, describe the rationale for the change and the implementation approach being adopted and critically evaluate this implementation process.
b) You should identify an area of systems engineering practice which would warrant some attention in your organisation and discuss the need for and the nature of desirable improvement, the likely risks involved in changing practice and the approach you would take to implement this change, in particular to mitigate those risks.
If your organisation is not suitable for this task, in consultation with a tutor, you may undertake task b) above on TWO areas of the Beagle study, making recommendations for the Beagle 3 project.
In this context, ‘a systems engineering practice’ can include such areas as: the organisation and role of systems engineering in the organisation; a specific SE activity under ISO 15288; the use of tools to support an activity, for example, requirements management; standards for systems engineering; scope of application of systems engineering; training of systems engineers.
Assessment Criteria
35% of marks will be awarded for your analysis of an ongoing change in the organisation. Your analysis should rise above mere description of the organisational change so as to provide a critique both of the rationale for the change and the way in which it is being undertaken.
35% of marks will be awarded for your proposal for further improvement in systems engineering practice and your approach to its introduction.
15% of marks will be awarded for the structure of your argument. We will be looking here at how you have organized your report, how well the argument flows through it, and how cohesive the work as a whole seems.
15% of marks will be awarded for presentation. We expect a word-processed report without spelling or grammatical errors, within the word limits, appropriately referenced, and presented clearly without gimmicks or fragmentation (e.g., sub-sub-sections, or too many bulleted lists). By all means use diagrams where appropriate, but stay clear of the eye-catching cover!
Submission
Due date 12th September 2005.
Hard Copies: You should return 2 hard copies to CPDA Secretarial Assistant, CPDA Office, 83 Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1US.
Electronic Copy: One computer-readable version to be submitted by email to