Automated management system

Abstract

The management of engineering processes can benefit from incremental automation of knowledge capture that creates the building blocks of management decisions. For example, the Rapid Post-Flight Analysis System was designed from an original concept that was created to form a process management model that would define the organizational framework and enable future process optimization of existing analysis methodology. The developed management approach was used to integrate 28 internal and external multi-discipline organizations by capturing the relationships defining group roles, analyses, requirements, data transmittals, and schedules. Incremental optimization of the post-flight process has resulted in a 78% schedule reduction without degrading the technical scope or quality of the analyses results. For post-flight analysis, the challenge of resolving the combined people/process/technology optimization problem was through management of the key engineering process technology knowledge. The strategic focus was to try the application of new technologies that would redesign current analysis techniques. Traditional analysis techniques of post-flight plotted data may be reconsidered as new approaches with neural networks are explored. The proof-of-concept example involved the development of an application whose scope was to train the neural network with sample post-flight telemetry data and then to check its ability to detect in-family or out-of-family data. The training and successful detection was performed with Gensym-G2/Neuro-On-Line software. Automation is key toward the development of unified subsystem elements that focus toward the emergence of a cohesive system evaluation. This process enables synergy between engineering at the system and functional group level focused toward integrating cost, schedule, and technical metrics knowledge with a systems engineering global approach. This paper presents management automation concepts and the potential application benefits to heavy launch vehicle post-flight cycles. SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS Prior to development of a strategic process improvement plan, it is necessary to understand the traditional definitions and theoretical fundamentals associated with the underlying systems engineering and program management concepts which create the integral components for the organizational and process management foundation. Integrated program management methodology includes three major program management functions. The program manager is responsible for the overall technical/schedule/cost program performance, maintaining the customer business relationship while balancing the corporation's business principles of profit related to optimal personnel and physical resources utilization, compliance with security, legal, and corporate policies, and management of the statement of work contract requirements. The program control manager supports business and administrative aspects of the program including planning, cost, contracts, data, configuration, and administrative management. Through the Contract Implementation Plan (CIP) describing program implementation through organizational structure and requirements definition, the program control manager has the required procedures to manage the general schedule and cost aspects of the program. The systems engineering manager maintains the balance between customer/corporate requirements and the allocation of engineering requirements with performance, cost, and schedule aspects. The Systems Engineering * Post-Flight Vehicle Project Engineer, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, M.S. in Special Studies (Electrical Engineering)