System Operation

Introduction

The role of SE during the operation of the system consists of ensuring that the system maintains key mission and business functions and is operationally effective; that maintenance actions and other major changes are performed according to the long-term vision of the system, meet the evolving needs of stakeholders, and are consistent with the architecture; and that the eventual decommissioning or disposal of the system occurs according to disposal/retirement plans and is compliant with relevant laws and regulations. (For additional information on disposal or retirement, please see the System Life Cycle Management KA.) When the system-of-interest (SOI) replaces an existing or legacy system, it may be necessary to manage the migration between systems such that persistent stakeholders do not experience a breakdown in services. (INCOSE 2010, p. 145)

Definition & Purpose

This process assigns personnel to operate the system, and monitors the services and operator‐system performance. In order to sustain services it identifies and analyzes operational problems in relation to agreements, stakeholder requirements and organizational constraints. (ISO/IEC 2009, 1)

Process Approaches

During the operational phase of a program, SE activities are focused on ensuring the system maintains certain operational attributes and usefulness throughout its expected life span. Maintaining operational effectiveness consists of evaluating certain operationally relevant attributes and trends, taking actions to prevent degradation of performance (see 11.4 Maintenance, below), evolving the system to meet changing mission or business needs (see the System Life Management KA), and eventually decommissioning the system and disposing of its components (see the System Life Management KA). Several activities are specifically associated with system use, including:

• Development of training requirements for operational and support personnel. Identification of training requirements is generally most effective when they are developed early and fulfilled consistently with operational or support needs before system transition.

• Evaluation of the readiness of the operational and support personnel to operate and assume support responsibility for the system. Evaluation of personnel readiness may include completion of required training or demonstration of capability to operate or support the system.

• Evaluation Operational Effectiveness. Early in the planning phases of a new system or capability, measures of operational effectiveness are established based on mission and business goals. (For more information, please see the System Definition KA.) Many times, these measures are described as “key technical performance measures” and are used to support transition of the system into operational use (See Section 8.9, Systems Engineering Measurement). These measures are equally important during system operation to ensure certain important system quality attributes are maintained. These attributes are unique for each system and represent characteristics describing the usefulness of the system as defined and agreed to by system stakeholders. Systems engineers monitor and analyze these measurements and recommend actions.

Applicable Methods & Tools

• Training and Certification. Adequate training must be provided for the operators who are required to operate the system. The objectives of training are to:
  • Provide initial training for all operators in order to equip them with the skill and knowledge to operate the system. Ideally, this process will begin prior to system transition and will facilitate delivery of the system. It is important to define the certification standards and required training materials up front. (For more information on material supply, please see section 11.6 Logistics.)
  • Provide continuation training to ensure currency of knowledge.
  • Monitor the qualification/certification of the operators to ensure that all personnel operating the system meet the minimum skill requirements, and that their currency remains valid.
  • Monitor and evaluate the job performance to determine the adequacy of the training program.

Evaluation

This section has not yet been written; it will be included in SEBoK version 0.5.

References

Please make sure all references are listed alphabetically and are formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed). See the BKCASE Reference Guidance for additional information.

Citations

List all references cited in the article. Note: SEBoK 0.5 uses Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed). See the BKCASE Reference Guidance for additional information.

Primary References

All primary references should be listed in alphabetical order. Remember to identify primary references by creating an internal link using the ‘’’reference title only’’’ (title). Please do not include version numbers in the links.

Additional References

All additional references should be listed in alphabetical order.

---

Article Discussion

[Go to discussion page]