6.1.3 Systems Engineering and Supportability Analysis: Technology Refreshment for COTS‐Intensive Systems

Abstract

AbstractThe desire to integrate supportability issues in product and system design has long been articulated within the systems engineering community [Asimow, 1964; Ostrofsky, 1977; Pugh, 1980]. However, there has often been a lag between this intent and its execution. Supportability and serviceability analysis (traditionally, also referred to as ILS in the aerospace industry) is often relegated to a reactionary mode during detailed system design. At least partially, a contributing factor to this reality has been a hazy definition of supportability and serviceability parameters. This inhibits quantitative “dovetailing” of supportability parameters into the design and architecture synthesis activity.The application of a systematic and integrated development approach must contend with the prevailing business realities. These include increased international competition, resource constraints, evolving system requirements and customer expectation, along with an imperative to get the system to market expeditiously. Furthermore, there is an increasing emphasis on assessing systems and products from a total ownership cost perspective. This mandates explicit inclusion of supportability and serviceability issues into system design. The requirement becomes even more urgent with the emphasis on commercial‐off‐the‐shelf system elements (COTS) in the development of complex, distributed, and multi‐functional systems. This emphasis on COTS technologies and elements has already resulted in significant, relatively immediate, reduction in system development and production costs, as reflected in Figure 1.These benefits and cost reductions notwithstanding, an emphasis on utilizing COTS system elements results in unique challenges from a systems and supportability engineering standpoint. Proactive refreshment of COTS system elements becomes a key component within the overall system supportability and serviceability strategy. Furthermore, any technology refreshment strategy must be tailored to account for the system operational concept, its availability and accessibility, the business strategy, and the system maintenance concept. This is necessary if reductions in development and production costs are to be extended into an overall reduction in system ownership costs.