The DOE Phase X and 6.X Processes vs. the System Engineering V Process

Aug 09, 2023 4:45 PM - Aug 09, 2023 6:00 PM Mountain Standard Time

Abstract: The DOE used the Phase X development process to develop new weapon systems up until the early 90’s when it stopped designing new systems. Up until recently they used a modified version of the Phase X process to complete Life Extension Programs called the Phase 6.X process. With the recent return to the Phase X process there are some interesting differences and similarities to the US System Engineering V Model. This talk will describe the two DOE processes and then show the differences and similarities to the US system Engineering V Model.

Speaker: Chris Scully is the Group Leader for the Advanced System Development Group in the Stockpile Modernization Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) which leads future weapons systems from a program and system engineering perspective.  Chris has worked at Los Alamos for 27 years after earning his BSME and MSME from New Mexico State University.  He has had a number of roles both in a technical and management capacity during that tenure all related to the weapons program.  These including Models Based Engineering and Manufacturing, Product Lifecycle Management, Test Engineering, and System Engineering.  Throughout his time in the weapons program, he has been involved with all of the Life Extension Programs (LEP’s) LANL has executed utilizing the NNSA’s Phase 6.X  seven phase process.  In his current role, Chris oversaw the execution of the first Phase 1 weapons program since the late 1980’s using an updated version of the Phase X development process.