Author

Philip Tarnoff
Director
Center for Advanced Transportation Technology (CATT)
E-mail: tarnoff@eng.umd.edu
Phone: (301) 403-4619

Description

This course is an introduction to systems engineering for ITS project managers and project staff. It provides a high-level view of a broad and rich topic area, introducing basic concepts to individuals who are working on ITS projects. The goal is to allow these individuals to understand the benefits of applying systems engineering approaches as a means of developing quality systems. The course covers technical practices such as modeling, prototyping, trade-off analysis and testing, and management practices such as risk assessment and mitigation, which make up "best practices" in the systems engineering arena.

This course is part of the core Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) curriculum established by the ITS Professional Capacity Building (PCB) program. For more information on the core curriculum, click here.

What is an Instructor-led, Web-based course?

A “blended” course combines the best features of both instructor-led and web-based instruction. These features include:

• Live discussions with the instructor through the use of conference calls,
• Convenient, flexible web-based learning,
• A specific time schedule in which to complete the course, and
• Interaction with other students through the use of class problems posted on a discussion board.

Objectives

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Define Systems Engineering and its application to ITS.
• Describe the system's life cycle and its relationship to systems engineering.
• Develop, derive, and validate requirements for a system.
• List the systems engineering tools available to mitigate risk.
• Define and apply the concept of earned value as a tracking mechanism.
• List three alternative strategies that may be applied to decision making under uncertainty.
• Identify where to find appropriate standards for developing ITS projects.
• Identify resources that may help project personnel to look at systems as a whole.

Audience

Transportation engineers and other practicing ITS professionals or technical persons at all levels of government and in the private sector. ITS project managers, technical team members, contractors, and staff are all appropriate participants. Project managers would particularly benefit from this course since they direct many peoples' efforts. Any level of professionals involved in ITS may attend to broaden their understanding of complex systems, beyond current technical knowledge.

Length

Approximately eight to ten hours.

Prerequisites

Some familiarity with the management and operation of surface transportation services and facilities.

Course Outline

Numbers in parentheses refer to pages.

Course Introduction (1-3)

• Introduction
• Course Outcomes
• Course Gateway

Lesson 1: Overview of Systems Engineering (1-23)

Lesson contents provide the following information:

• Review of the notions of system, subsystem and component
• Introduction to the systems engineering process
• Components, tools, and skills required by systems engineering
• Purpose and benefits of systems engineering
• Systems engineering participants
• Project Manager
• Identification of participants
• Contractor selection
• Impact and applicability of systems engineering
• Resources
• Lesson summary
• Quiz

Lesson 2: The "V" Model (1-27)

Lesson contents provide the following information:

• Introduction to systems engineering process
• The "V" Model
  • Description of the steps of the "V" Model
• Decomposition and recomposition
• The "V" diagram and Federal Rule 940
• Effect of Final Rule on ITS Standards and Conformity (Federal Rule 23 CFR 940) on systems engineering projects
• Regional Architecture
• Agency involvement in the systems enigeering process
• Systems engineering strategies
  • Once-through strategy
  • Incremental strategy
  • Evolutionary development strategy
• Examples of Systems engineering process
• Lesson summary
• Quiz

Lesson 3: The Concept of Operations (1-32)

Lesson contents provide the following information:

• Introduction to the Concept of Operations
• Definition of Concept of Operations
• Contents of the Concept of Operations
• Concept of Operations and Architecture
• Example: Variable Speed Limit sign
• Concept of Operations participants
• Role of the Concept of Operations
• Developing the Concept of Operations
  • Definition of goals/objectives
  • Characteristics of the vision
  • Example: the soda machine
  • Sample vision
• Operational scenarios
  • Attributes of scenarios
  • Identification of scenarios
  • Example: the soda machine
  • Importance of scenarios

• Other considerations
• Maintenance
• Concept of Operations Workshop
• Lesson summary
• Quiz

Lesson 4: Systems Requirements (1-25)

Lesson contents provide the following information:

• Definition of requirements
• Source of requirements
• Responsibilities for requirements
• Types of requirements
• Functional requirements
• Performance requirements
• Interface requirements
• Data requirements
• Hierarchy of requirements
• Writing style for requirements
• Characteristics of well-written requirements
• Characteristics of poorly-written detailed requirements
• Requirement writing guidelines
• Requirements Workshop
• Lesson Summary
• Quiz

Lesson 5: System Design (1-35)

Lesson contents provide the following information:

• Introduction to system design
• Definition of system design
• Good design practices
• Design alternatives
• Considering the alternatives at the system, subsystem, and unit levels
• Assessing the alternatives
• Design specifications
• Writing rules
• Types of specifications
• Examples
• Design workshop
• Operations and Maintenance
• O & M needs
• Operator needs
• Prototyping
• ITS Standards
  • Description of standards
  • Interface standards
  • Using standards
• System design responsibilities
• Lesson summary
• Quiz

Lesson 6: Implementation, Operations, and Maintenance (1-35)

Lesson contents provide the following information:

• Introduction to implementation process
• Implementation within the system development context
• Decomposition and Recomposition
• Recomposition Cycle
• Verification
• What is Verification?
• Verification testing
• Acceptance tests
• Accepance tests thoroughness
• From Implementation to O&M
• Validation
• Transition factors
• Transition planning decisions
• Operations and Maintenance
• O&M within the system development context
• Maintenance scope
• Hardware and software failures
• Enhancements within the system development context
• Verification, Validation within the system development context
• Training
• Importance of training
• Typical documentation
• Final documentation
• Documenting the requirements
• Lesson summary
• Quiz

Lesson 7: Cross-Cutting Activities (1-37)

Lesson contents provide the following information:

• Configuration Management
• Configuration Management within the system development context
• Goals, necessity and functions of Configuration Management
• Configuration identification
• Traceability
• Role of Traceability
• Traceability matrix
• Example
• Traceability Workshop
• Change control
• Configuration Control Board
• Change control steps
• Causes of change requests
• Controlling for the impact of changes
• Risk Management
• Sources of Risk
• Risk Management Process
• Risk Planning Process
• Risk Control Strategy
• Real-life Example
• Cross-cutting activities responsibilities
• Lesson summary
• Quiz
  

Lesson 8: Risk Management (1-23)

Lesson contents provide the following information:

• Determining the SE approach
• Low-risk projects
• High-risk projects
• Types of ITS projects
• SEA as a Decision Tool
• State DOT Examples
• Managing Project Resources
• Project Management
• Technical Management
• SE Management Plan
• SEMP Development Stages
• SE Resources
• SE Impact on Institutions
• Types of Institutional Impacts
• Additional Resources
• Lesson summary
• Quiz

Course Syllabus

>See PREVIOUS YEAR Course Syllabus (2008)

2009 Course Syllabus coming soon