Difference between revisions of "System Concept Definition"

Latest revision as of 22:36, 2 May 2024

Lead Author: Tami Katz Contributing Authors: Lou Wheatcraft, Mike Ryan, Garry Roedler, Rick Adcock

Concept DefinitionConcept Definition is the set of systems engineering (SE) activities in which the problem space as well as the needs and requirements of the business (or enterprise) and stakeholdersstakeholders are closely examined. Concept definition begins before any formal definition of the system-of-interestsystem-of-interest (SoI) is developed.

The Concept Definition activities include Business or Mission Analysis and Stakeholder Needs Definition. Within these two activities the enterprise or project decision makers, as well as additional key stakeholders, describe what a solution should accomplish and why it is needed. Both why and what need to be answered before consideration is given to how the problemproblem will be addressed (i.e., what type of solution will be implemented) and how the solutionsolution will be defined and developed.

Concept Definition Activities

There are two primary activities discussed under Concept Definition: Business or Mission AnalysisBusiness or Mission Analysis and the definition of Stakeholder NeedsStakeholder Needs:

The Business or Mission Analysis activity defines the problem, threatthreat, or opportunityopportunity being addressed which could result in a new or modified product or service. This process also includes identification of major stakeholders, the mission, goals, and objectives of the SoI, the measures of success, identification of business needs and requirements, and identification of the SoI life cycle concepts.
The Stakeholder Needs Definition activity uses the inputs from the Business or Mission Analysis effort to identify an integrated set of needs based on inputs from the major stakeholders, higher-level requirements, and an analysis of the life cycle concepts, drivers, constraints, and risks.

The products and artifacts produced during Concept Definition are then used in the System DefinitionSystem Definition process.

Drivers of Concept Definition

There are many considerations associated with concept definition activities, which are further elaborated below.

The Role of Architecture Development

The activities of Business or Mission Analysis and Stakeholder Needs Definition occur concurrently with the processes of System Architecture Design Definition. The activities to address a full set of needs includes identification of SoI life cycle concepts, external interfaces and constraints, as well as candidate solutions and an exploration of the architecture (logicallogical and functionalfunctional).

Drivers of Solution on Problem Definition

During Concept Definition, the problem definition and solution exploration depend on each other: solutions should be developed to respond appropriately to well-defined problems; and problem definitions should be constrained by what is feasible in the solution space. System analysis is used to provide the links between problems and solutions.

There are two paradigms that drive the ways in which concept definition is done: push and pull. The pull paradigm is based on providing a solution to an identified problem or gap, such as a missing mission capabilitycapability for defense or infrastructure. The push paradigm is based on creating a solution to address a perceived opportunity, such as the emergence of an anticipated product or service that is attractive to some portion of the population (i.e. whether a current market exists or not). This can impact other life cycle processes, such as verification and validation, or alpha/beta testing as done in some commercial domains.

As systems generally integrate existing and new system elements in a mixture of push and pull, it is often best to combine a bottom-up approach with a top-down approach to take into account legacy elements, as well as to identify the services and capabilities that must be provided in order to define applicable interface requirements and constraints. This is discussed in Applying Life Cycle Processes.

New System or Modification of Existing System

The activities of concept definition determine whether the enterprise strategic goals and business needs will be addressed by a new system, a change to an existing system, a service, an operational change, or some other solution.

For a new system, the organization or customer has decided to start with a “blank piece of paper”. This is often referred to as a green-field system, and analysis efforts during concept definition characterize the as-is or present-state of the SoI in terms of the problem, threat, or opportunity and then characterize the to-be or future-state of the SoI in obtaining the resolution of the problem, threat, or opportunity.

An existing system can be evolved or transformed into the desired system. This is often referred to as a brown-field system, and the data that has been established for the original system can be used as inputs into the analysis efforts during concept definition activities. The existing system may have been developed for other purposes, the stakeholder needs or the operational environment may have changed, e.g., a change in threats. The analysis effort will explore the problem space and possible solutions to the gaps of the existing system to address the problem, threat or opportunity.

References

Works Cited

None.

Primary References

INCOSE. 2023. Systems Engineering Handbook: A Guide for System Life Cycle Processes and Activities, version 5.0. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc, ISBN: 978-1-118-99940-0.

INCOSE. 2022. INCOSE Needs and Requirements Manual, version 1.1. INCOSE-TP-2021-002-01.

ISO/IEC/IEEE. 2023. Systems and Software Engineering - System Life Cycle Processes. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023.

Additional References

Hitchins, D. 2007. Systems Engineering: A 21st Century Systems Methodology. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons.

ISO/IEC. 2003. Systems Engineering – A Guide for The Application of ISO/IEC 15288 System Life Cycle Processes.

ISO/IEC. 2007. Systems Engineering – Application and Management of The Systems Engineering Process. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standards (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ISO/IEC 26702:2007.

Jackson, S., D. Hitchins, and H. Eisner. 2010. "What is the Systems Approach?" INCOSE Insight. (April 2010): 41-43.

NASA. 2016. Systems Engineering Handbook. Washington, D.C., USA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA/SP-2016-6105 rev 2.

< Previous Article | Parent Article | Next Article > SEBoK v. 2.10, released 06 May 2024

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-Concept definition is the set of systems engineering activities in which the problem space and the needs of the stakeholders are closely examined; this occurs before any formal definition of the [[System of Interest (SoI) (glossary)]] is developed. [[Mission Analysis]] focuses on defining the problem or opportunity that exists (often called the problem space), as well as understanding the constraints on and boundaries of the solution space. [[Stakeholder Needs and Requirements]] explores and defines the operational aspects of a potential solution for the stakeholders from their pointof view, independent of any specific solution.
+----'''''Lead Author:''''' ''Tami Katz'' '''''Contributing Authors:''''' ''Lou Wheatcraft, Mike Ryan, Garry Roedler, Rick Adcock''
+----'''{{Term|Concept Definition (glossary)|Concept Definition}}''' is the set of systems engineering (SE) activities in which the problem space as well as the needs and requirements of the business (or enterprise) and {{Term|Stakeholder (glossary)|stakeholders}} are closely examined. Concept definition begins before any formal definition of the {{Term|System-of-Interest  (glossary)|system-of-interest}} (SoI) is developed.
-Mission analysis examines ''why'' a solution is desired; what problem or opportunity it will address.  Stakeholder needs and requirements describe ''what'' a solution should accomplish.  Both ''why'' and ''what'' need to be answered before any consideration of ''how'' the problem will be addressed (i.e., what type of solution) and ''how'' the solution will be defined and developed.  If the chosen solution is a new or modified system, then [[System Definition]] activities are performed to define the system.
+The Concept Definition activities include [[Business or Mission Analysis]] and [[Stakeholder Needs Definition]]. Within these two activities the enterprise or project decision makers, as well as additional key stakeholders, describe ''what'' a solution should accomplish and ''why'' it is needed. Both ''why'' and ''what'' need to be answered before consideration is given to ''how'' the {{term|Problem (glossary)|problem}} will be addressed (i.e., what type of solution will be implemented) and ''how'' the {{term|Solution (glossary)|solution}} will be defined and developed.
-Various authors use different terms to describe these phases.  For example, Kossiakoff and Sweet (2005) call them ''needs analysis'' and ''concept exploration.''
-To download a PDF of all of Part 3 (including this knowledge area), please [http://www.sebokwiki.org/075/images/0/07/SEBoK075_Part3.pdf click here].
-==Topics==
-The topics contained within this knowledge area include:
-*[[Mission Analysis]]
-*[[Stakeholder Needs and Requirements]]
 ==Concept Definition Activities==
-There are two primary activities discussed under concept definition:  [[Mission Analysis|mission analysis]] and the definition of [[Stakeholder Needs and Requirements|stakeholder needs and requirements]]:
+There are two primary activities discussed under Concept Definition: {{Term|Mission Analysis (glossary)|Business or Mission Analysis}} and the definition of {{term|Stakeholder Needs and Requirements (glossary)|Stakeholder Needs}}:
-*[[Mission Analysis]] initiates the life cycle of a potential [[System of Interest (SoI) (glossary)|system of interest (SoI)]] that could solve a problem or realize an opportunity for developing a new product, service or enterprise. These activities define the problem space, identify the stakeholders, develop preliminary operational concepts, and identify environmental conditions and constraints that bound the solution space.
-*[[Stakeholder Needs and Requirements]] works with the stakeholders across the life cycle to elicit and capture a set of needs, expectations, goals, or objectives of a desired solution to the problem or opportunity, called Stakeholder Needs. The stakeholder needs are used to produce a clear, concise, and verifiable set of stakeholder requirements.
-The products and artifacts produced during concept definition are then used in [[System Definition]].
-===Top-Down Approach: from Problem to Solution===
-In a top-down approach, [[Concept Definition|concept definition]] activities are focused primarily on understanding the problem, the operational needs/requirements within the problem space, and the conditions that constrain the solution and bound the solution space.  The concept definition activities determine whether a new or modified system (i.e., the System-Of-Interest) is needed to fulfill the need.  The [[System Definition|system definition]] activities use the outcomes of concept defintion and are focused on defining the system through a set of system requirements, logical and physical architectures, and the design of solutions. Outcomes of system definition are used for [[System Realization|system realization]], [[System Deployment and Use|system deployment and use]], and [[Product and Service Life Management|product and service life management]]. In this approach, system definition includes activities that are completed primarily in the front-end portion of system development and the design itself. Top-down activities can be sequential, iterative, recursive or evolutionary. These activities are based on the results of [[Mission Analysis]] and the definition of [[Stakeholder Needs and Requirements]] and generally consist of the development of [[System Requirement (glossary)|system requirements (glossary)]] that consist of the refinement and translation of the [[Stakeholder Requirement (glossary)|stakeholder requirements (glossary)]] into [[System Requirement (glossary)|system (technical) requirements]]. These system requirements are then used as inputs for the [[Architectural Design: Logical|logical architecture design]], which includes functional, behavioral, temporal, and physical architectural aspects. [[System Analysis]] studies are performed to evaluate and select the potential system elements that compose the system and are the most suitable. System analysis is intended to provide a best value, balanced solution involving all relevant engineering elements (stakeholder requirements, system requirements, and design properties).
-===Bottom-Up Approach: Evolution of the Solution===
+#The [[Business or Mission Analysis]] activity defines the problem, {{term|Threat (glossary)|threat}}, or {{term|Opportunity (glossary)|opportunity}} being addressed which could result in a new or modified product or service.  This process also includes identification of major stakeholders, the mission, goals, and objectives of the SoI, the measures of success, identification of business needs and requirements, and identification of the SoI life cycle concepts.
+#The [[Stakeholder Needs Definition]] activity uses the inputs from the Business or Mission Analysis effort to identify an integrated set of needs based on inputs from the major stakeholders, higher-level requirements, and an analysis of the life cycle concepts, drivers, constraints, and risks.
+The products and artifacts produced during Concept Definition are then used in the {{Term|System Definition (glossary)|System Definition}} process.
-In some situations, the concept definition activities determine the need to evolve existing capabilities or add new capabilities to an existing system. During the concept definition, the alternatives to address the need are evaaluated and engineers are then led to reconsider the system definition in order to modify or adapt some structural, functional, behavioral, or temporal properties during the [[Product (glossary)|product (glossary)]] or [[Service (glossary)|service (glossary)]] life cycle to adapt to a changing [[context (glossary)|context (glossary)]] of use or for the purpose of improving existing solutions. [[Reverse Engineering (glossary)|Reverse engineering (glossary)]] is often necessary to enable system engineers to (re)characterize the properties of the system of interest (SoI) or its elements; this is an important step to ensure that system engineers understand the SoI before beginning modification. (For more information on system definition, please see [[System Definition]].)
+==Drivers of Concept Definition==
+There are many considerations associated with concept definition activities, which are further elaborated below.
-A bottom-up approach is necessary for analysis purposes, or for (re)using existing elements in the design [[architecture (glossary)|architecture (glossary)]]. Changes in the context of use or a need for improvement can prompt this. In contrast, a top-down approach is generally used to define an initial design solution corresponding to a problem or a set of needs.
-Bottom-up and top-down approaches can be, and often are, mixed.
+=== The Role of Architecture Development ===
+The activities of [[Business or Mission Analysis]] and [[Stakeholder Needs Definition]] occur concurrently with the processes of [[System Architecture Design Definition]].   The activities to address a full set of needs includes identification of SoI life cycle concepts, external interfaces and constraints, as well as candidate solutions and an exploration of the architecture ({{term|Logical Architecture (glossary)|logical}} and {{term|Functional Architecture (glossary)|functional}}).
-===Separation and Iteration between Problem and Solution===
+=== Drivers of Solution on Problem Definition ===
+During Concept Definition, the problem definition and solution exploration depend on each other: solutions should be developed to respond appropriately to well-defined problems; and problem definitions should be constrained by what is feasible in the solution space. System analysis is used to provide the links between problems and solutions.
-Problem definition and solution design depend on each other. Solutions should be developed to respond appropriately to well-defined problems. Problem definitions should be constrained to what is feasible in the solution space.  [[System Analysis|System analysis]] activities are used to perform the link between problems and solutions.
+There are two paradigms that drive the ways in which concept definition is done: push and pull. The pull paradigm is based on providing a solution to an identified problem or gap, such as a missing mission {{term|Capability (glossary)|capability}} for defense or infrastructure. The push paradigm is based on creating a solution to address a perceived opportunity, such as the emergence of an anticipated product or service that is attractive to some portion of the population (i.e. whether a current market exists or not). This can impact other life cycle processes, such as verification and validation, or alpha/beta testing as done in some commercial domains.
-As systems generally integrate existing and new [[System Element (glossary)|system elements (glossary)]], a bottom-up approach can be combined with a top-down approach to take into account legacy elements, as well as to identify the services and capabilities they provide in order to define applicable interface requirements and constraints. As discussed in [[System Life Cycle Process Models: Iterative]], this is iterative for these evolutionary systems.
+As systems generally integrate existing and new system elements in a mixture of push and pull, it is often best to combine a bottom-up approach with a top-down approach to take into account legacy elements, as well as to identify the services and capabilities that must be provided in order to define applicable interface requirements and constraints. This is discussed in [[Applying Life Cycle Processes]].
-For more details about systems approaches, please see the [[Systems Approach]] topic.  In addition, the references “What Is the Systems Approach?” (Jackson, Hitchins, Eisner 2010, 41-43) and ''A 21st Century Systems Methodology'' (Hitchins 2007) are recommended.
+=== New System or Modification of Existing System ===
+The activities of concept definition determine whether the enterprise strategic goals and business needs will be addressed by a new system, a change to an existing system, a service, an operational change, or some other solution.
+For a new system, the organization or customer has decided to start with a “blank piece of paper”.  This is often referred to as a green-field system, and analysis efforts during concept definition characterize the as-is or present-state of the SoI in terms of the problem, threat, or opportunity and then characterize the to-be or future-state of the SoI in obtaining the resolution of the problem, threat, or opportunity.
+An existing system can be evolved or transformed into the desired system.  This is often referred to as a brown-field system, and the data that has been established for the original system can be used as inputs into the analysis efforts during concept definition activities.  The existing system may have been developed for other purposes, the stakeholder needs or the operational environment may have changed, e.g., a change in threats. The analysis effort will explore the problem space and possible solutions to the gaps of the existing system to address the problem, threat or opportunity.
 ==References==
-===Works Cited===
+===Works Cited ===
-Kossiakoff, A, and W. Sweet.  2009.  ''Systems Engineering: Principles and Practice.''  Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley and Sons.
+None.
-Hitchins, D. 2007. ''Systems Engineering: A 21st Century Systems Methodology.''  Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons.
+===Primary References===
+INCOSE. 2023. ''[[INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook|Systems Engineering Handbook]]: A Guide for System Life Cycle Processes and Activities'', version 5.0. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc, ISBN: 978-1-118-99940-0.
-Jackson, S., D. Hitchins, and H. Eisner. 2010. "What is the Systems Approach?" INCOSE ''Insight''  (April 2010): 41-43.
+INCOSE. 2022. ''INCOSE Needs and Requirements Manual'', version 1.1. INCOSE-TP-2021-002-01.
-===Primary References===
+ISO/IEC/IEEE. 2023. ''[[ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288|Systems and Software Engineering - System Life Cycle Processes]].'' Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. [[ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288]]:2023.
-ISO/IEC/IEEE. 2008. ''[[ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288|Systems and Software Engineering - System Life Cycle Processes]].'' Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electronical Commission (IEC), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. [[ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288]]:2008 (E).
-ISO/IEC/IEEE. 2011. ''[[ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148|Systems and Software Engineering - Requirements Engineering]]''. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission/ Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), (IEC), [[ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148]].
+===Additional References===
+Hitchins, D. 2007. ''Systems Engineering: A 21st Century Systems Methodology''. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons.
-INCOSE. 2011. ''[[INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook]]: A Guide for System Life Cycle Processes and Activities''. Version 3.2.1. San Diego, CA, USA: International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), INCOSE-TP-2003-002-03.2.1.
+ISO/IEC. 2003. ''Systems Engineering – A Guide for The Application of ISO/IEC 15288 System Life Cycle Processes''.
-ANSI/EIA. 1998. Processes for Engineering a System. Philadelphia, PA, USA: American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/Electronic Industries Association (EIA), ANSI/EIA 632-1998.
+ISO/IEC. 2007. ''Systems Engineering – Application and Management of The Systems Engineering Process''. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standards (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ISO/IEC 26702:2007.
-ISO/IEC. 2003. Systems Engineering – A Guide for The Application of ISO/IEC 15288 System Life Cycle Processes. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electronical Commission (IEC), ISO/IEC 19760:2003 (E).
+Jackson, S., D. Hitchins, and H. Eisner. 2010. ''"What is the Systems Approach?" INCOSE Insight''. (April 2010): 41-43.
-ISO/IEC. 2007. Systems Engineering – Application and Management of The Systems Engineering Process. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standards (ISO)/International Electronical Commission (IEC), ISO/IEC 26702:2007.
+NASA. 2016. ''Systems Engineering Handbook''. Washington, D.C., USA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA/SP-2016-6105 rev 2.
-NASA. 2007. Systems Engineering Handbook. Washington, D.C., USA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA/SP-2007-6105.
-===Additional References===
-Hitchins, D. 2007. ''Systems Engineering: A 21st Century Systems Methodology.''  Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons.
-Jackson, S., D. Hitchins, and H. Eisner. 2010. "What is the Systems Approach?" INCOSE ''Insight''  (April 2010): 41-43.
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+<center>[[Measurement|< Previous Article]] | [[Systems Engineering and Management|Parent Article]] | [[Business or Mission Analysis|Next Article >]]</center>
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+<center>'''SEBoK v. 2.10, released 06 May 2024'''</center>
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