National Aeronautics and NASA/TP–20205003644 Space Administration IS02 George C. Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Alabama 35812 Engineering Elegant Systems: Theory of Systems Engineering M.D. Watson Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama B.L. Mesmer and P.A. Farrington The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama June 2020 The NASA STI Program…in Profile Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to the • CONFERENCE PUBLICATION. Collected advancement of aeronautics and space science. The papers from scientific and technical conferences, NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) symposia, seminars, or other meetings sponsored Program Office plays a key part in helping NASA or cosponsored by NASA. maintain this important role. • SPECIAL PUBLICATION. 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Does not contain extensive NASA STI Information Desk analysis. Mail Stop 148 NASA Langley Research Center • CONTRACTOR REPORT. Scientific and Hampton, VA 23681–2199, USA technical findings by NASA-sponsored contractors and grantees. NASA/TP–20205003644 Engineering Elegant Systems: Theory of Systems Engineering M.D. Watson Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama B.L. Mesmer and P.A. Farrington The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama National Aeronautics and Space Administration Marshall Space Flight Center • Huntsville, Alabama 35812 June 2020 i Acknowledgments The progress made in defining elegant, product-focused systems engineering is due to the work by the members of the Systems Engineering Research Consortium. These researchers represent excellence in their field and have impressed with their knowledge, intuition, and research. It is a pleasure working with and discussing with them the challenging questions raised in the discipline of systems engineering. Phil Farrington, Paul Collopy, and Bryan Mesmer at The University of Alabama in Huntsville have been outstanding leaders for the university consortium. Present and past members are: Michael D. Griffin, Ph.D., former NASA Administrator North Carolina State University: Jon Stallings, Ph.D Air Force Research Laboratory—Wright Patterson, Alabama A&M University: Emeka Dunu, Ph.D. Multidisciplinary Science and Technology Center: Jose A. Camberos, Ph.D., Kirk L. Yerkes, Ph.D. Oregon State University: Irem Tumer, Ph.D., Christopher Hoyle, Ph.D. George Mason University: John S. Gero, Ph.D. SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc.: John Olds, Ph.D. George Washington University: Zoe Szajnfarber, Ph.D., Samantha Marquart Brainard, Ph.D. Stevens Institute of Technology: Khaldoun Khashanah Iowa State University: Christina L. Bloebaum, Ph.D., Texas A&M University: Richard Malak, Ph.D., Robert Price Michael C. Dorneich, Ph.D. Tri-Vector Corporation: Joey Shelton, Ph.D. JBS Solutions: Sherrie Nash, Ph.D., Robert S. Ryan, Kenny Mitchell, Jeff Downs The University of Alabama in Huntsville: Phillip A. Farrington, Ph.D., Dawn R. Utley, Ph.D., Laird Burns, Multidisciplinary Software Systems Research Corporation Ph.D., Paul Collopy, Ph.D., Bryan Mesmer, Ph.D., (MSSRC): Larry Lambe P. J. Benfield, Ph.D., Wes Colley, Ph.D., Jeff Little, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Maria C. Yang, Ph.D. George J. Nelson, Ph.D., Dale Thomas, Ph.D., Sean Owens, Casey Eaton Missouri University of Science & Technology: David Riggins, Ph.D. The University of Arkansas: David C. Jensen, Ph.D. NASA Johnson Space Center: Gordon A. Vos, Ph.D. The University of Bergen: Erika Palmer NASA Langley Research Center: Peter A. Parker, Ph.D., The University of Colorado – Colorado Springs: Ken Toro, Anna R. McGowan, Ph.D., William Cirillo, Stephen B. Johnson, Ph.D. Marie Ivanco, Kevin D. Earle Doty Consulting Services: John Doty, Ph.D. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center: James G. Andrews, Jeri G. Eckley, Jennifer S. Stevens The University of Michigan: Panos Y. Papalambros, Ph.D., Melissa Greene, Ph.D., Arianne Collopy, Ph.D. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Aetos Corporation: Michael L. Culver The University of Texas, Arlington: Paul J. Componation, Ph.D., Susan Ferreira, Ph.D. TRADEMARKS Trade names and trademarks are used in this report for identification only. This usage does not constitute an official endorsement, either expressed or implied, by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Available from: NASA STI Information Desk Mail Stop 148 NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA 23681–2199, USA 757–864–9658 This report is also available in electronic form at <http://www.sti.nasa.gov> ii PREFACE The NASA Systems Engineering Research Consortium was founded to investigate the engi- neering and mathematical basis of systems engineering. The Consortium brought together some tremendous systems engineering researchers from across the country to contribute their investigative work to an integrated body of knowledge. I have had the great privilege of working with the research- ers, discussing their research, and bringing together their tremendous intellectual understandings to define the basis of systems engineering. In the summer of 2010, as NASA was transitioning from the cancellation of the Constella- tion program to the Exploration Systems Framework, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Engineering Directorate Associate Director, Garry Lyles, asked my thoughts on systems engineer- ing. He was looking for a way to advance the discipline. After discussing some of the characteristics of a systems engineer stated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Gentry Lee, Garry asked that I speak with former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin, who was serving as The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Eminent Scholar and Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The conversation with Mike revealed several common ideas on the challenges for systems engineering and the path systems engineering needed to take to advance as a discipline. We agreed to establish a research effort to consider the advancement of systems engineering and provide an engineering and mathematical basis for the emerging discipline. The MSFC Space Launch System (SLS) program supported the establishment of the Consortium, and a list of researchers who had a strong focus on the engineering basis of systems engineering were asked to participate in early research efforts. Initial efforts in the consortium were an exploration of different engineering approaches for systems engineering. Phillip Farrington became the principle investigator (PI) when Mike left UAH and became Chief Executive Officer of Schaffer Corporation. The four characteristics of an elegant system defined in Mike’s paper, ‘How do we fix System Engineering?’ guided the effort. These char- acteristics provided some focus, but a framework needed to bring all of the different engineering aspects together and show their relationships to these characteristics of systems engineering. We derived the framework, beginning in the spring of 2013, looking at the four different aspects of sys- tems engineering identified in the early research: Mission context, system integrating physics, organi- zational structure and culture, and policy and law. These four areas provided two focuses to systems engineering: system design and integration, and discipline integration. The systems engineering framework helped to focus the research and identify areas not stud- ied by the Consortium. The Consortium adjusted the research portfolio at this point to address these understudied areas. Mike and I had lunch or breakfast about every 3 months to discuss the progress and direction of the research. Mike challenged the Consortium to find a set of postulates that pro- vided