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Practice over perfection; A case study in building an in‐house Systems Engineering Capability
Author(s) -
Kemp Duncan,
Shenton Megan,
Adams Vince
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
incose international symposium
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2334-5837
DOI - 10.1002/j.2334-5837.2018.00559.x
Subject(s) - process (computing) , key (lock) , process management , engineering management , value (mathematics) , computer science , team building , knowledge management , engineering , systems engineering , operations management , computer security , operating system , machine learning
This paper describes a case study in building an in‐house Systems Engineering capability from concept through to delivery within Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S). In a 21‐month period the capability grew from an idea to a team of 22 delivering £3M‐£4M of savings to the organisation. The paper describes the growth of the team over four phases: (1) problem understanding and approach; (2) proof of concept (initial recruitment, operation and benefits delivery), (3) establishing the team and franchising the model to other disciplines; (4) further growth and embedding the model into the organisation's make/buy model. We describe the factors that contributed to the achievement of the team success including: a clear understanding of the systemic barriers to building an in‐house SE capability; the use of Kotter's 8 step change process; a clear focus on delivering value to key stakeholders; the use of simple management processes and Systems Engineering tools; and the development of a suitable culture and selection of the right people. Finally, the authors identify some key lessons that might be applicable for others.