2.6.1 Extending the Systems Engineering Methodology to Include Supportability Engineering

Systems' engineering has always been an essential part of developing integrated solutions. From its' earliest inceptions, systems engineering dealt with providing a solution that balanced performance and operational requirements at the lowest life cycle cost. As an art form, systems' engineering was based upon the methods and processes of individuals. As the tools, methodologies and philosophies of systems engineering evolved, it was transformed from an art to a science. This transformation is demonstrated in evolution that occurred through IEEE 1220, EIA 632, and EIA 731. While many of the attributes of these guidance documents map in to understood design areas such as hardware, software, and ease of manufacture, they do not clearly map into areas such as support strategy, impact to total ownership cost, maintenance planning and technology refresh cycles. These later actions fall under the discipline of supportability engineering. The systems engineering model contains numerous opportunities for supportability linkage, however the supportability hand‐offs were undefined when the systems engineering standards were released. This is because systems engineering guidance documents were being written at the same time supportability engineering was evolving to a standalone entity. The result is the documents have a strong interface, but without the necessary details to effectively integrate the disciplines. This paper describes the interconnections and key linkages that need to be addressed to flow information between supportability engineering and systems engineering, and the further evolution of the systems engineering process through assimilation of supportability engineering.