Systems Engineering for Advanced Transportation Projects

Module A. Introduction and Review

Lesson 1.  Fundamental Aspects of Systems Engineering

1. Systems Engineering Characteristics
2. Systems Integration
3. The Keys to Success in Systems Engineering
4. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Lesson 2. Process Models and Crosscutting Activities

1. Systems Engineering Process
   • The “V” Model Approach to Systems Engineering
2. Lifecycle models
   • The Waterfall Model
   • The Spiral Model
   • The Evolutionary Development Model
   • Comparison of Life Cycle Models
3. Crosscutting Activities
   • Risk Management
   • Configuration Management
   • Traceability
   • Validation and Verification
4. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Module B. The Planning Process

Lesson 1. Procurement

1. The Procurement Process
2. The Contracting Model
   • Work Allocation Contracts
   • Method of Award
   • Contract Form
   • Contract Types
3. Selecting the Best Solution
4. Procurement Packages
5. Putting it All Together
6. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Lesson 2. Defining the Vision and Requirements

1. The Concept of Operations
2. The Final Rule 23 CFR 940
3. The Vision
4. Defining Requirements
   • Role of National ITS Architecture User Services
   • Requirements Definition Process
   • Designing a Basic Freeway System Design: Exercise
5. High Level Functions: Pspecs
6. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Lesson 3. Cost Analysis

1. Benefit-Cost Analysis
2. Utility-Cost Analysis
3. Where Does the Data Come From?
4. Estimating Software and Systems Integration Costs
5. Defining the Project Constraints
6. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Module C. The Design Process

Lesson 1. Design and the National ITS Physical Architecture

1. Translating the Requirements into Functions
2. Physical Architecture
   • Subsystems
   • Terminators
3. Translating Functions into a Design
   • Regional Context
   • Use of the Architecture Material: Pspecs
4. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Lesson 2.  System Architecture

1. System Architecture
2. System Topologies
   • Star
   • Mesh
   • Hierarchical
3. Selecting a Topology
   • Estimating the Cost
   • Design Maturity
   • Organizational Compatibility
   • Hybrid Solutions
4. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Lesson 3.  Compatibility and System Design

1. The Ilities
2. Expandability
3. The Ilities Related to System Failures
4. Availability
   • Calculating Downtime Exercise
5. Reliability
   • Redundant systems: Exercise
6. Other Applications for the Ilities
7. Maintainability
8. Relating the Ilities to the Topologies
   • Sample Calculation
9. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Lesson 4.  Standards and System Design

1. Standards and System Design
2. Interoperability and Interchangeability
3. The OSI Model
   • Illustrating the OSI Layers: Exercise
   • Application of the OSI Model to ITS Standards
4. Why Are Standards Important?
5. The TMDD Standard
6. The National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol (NTCIP)
7. ITS Standards: Summary
8. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Lesson 5.  Describing the System

1. Relationship Between Specifications and Procurement
2. Specifications
   • General Provisions
   • Special Provisions
3. Principles of Good Specification Writing
4. The Problems of Software Specification
   • Software Specification: Exercise
5. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Module D. System Implementation

Lesson 1.  Prototyping

1. Prototyping
2. Prototyping Alternatives
3. Why Should Change be Limited?
4. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Lesson 2.  Testing

1. Types of Tests
2. Module Testing
3. Factory Acceptance Tests
4. Acceptance Testing
5. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Lesson 3.  System Integration

1. Legacy Systems
2. Types and Levels of Systems Integration
3. Importance of Systems Integration
4. Technical Roadblocks to Integration
   • Interface Alternatives
   • CORBA
   • XML
   • Other Commercial Systems
5. Real-World Systems Integration Problem
6. Lesson Summary and Quiz

Final Exam