System of Systems Overview: If you thought Systems Engineering was fun, wait until you try System of Systems Engineering!

Nov 09, 2022 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Mountain Standard Time

Online

Abstract: You don’t need to have been around Systems Engineers for very long before you will hear someone claim that the programme they are on is challenging because they are building a System of Systems. They talk about the challenges that they are facing, the superhuman systems engineering they are doing, and the magical architectures they are building that will ‘deliver coherence’. Whilst there is some truth to the statement, System of Systems Engineering is neither as difficult nor as new as some people would suggest.

As someone who has spent most of his career working with Systems of Systems, I always feel that the conventional description of System of Systems misses the point. Engineering Systems of Systems is different than engineering systems. It requires a different mindset, a broader set of tools, a bit more humility, and a different focus than developing systems. It requires looking at things from a different perspective. This presentation will start with a description of why and how systems of systems are different. But more importantly it will describe how to engineer systems of systems. You will learn why system of systems are, at times, easier to engineer than conventional systems. We will use a range of real-world examples, from Defence, Rail, and Information Services.

Speaker: Professor Duncan Kemp is the Senior Fellow for Systems Engineering in Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) within the UK Ministry of Defence. He is both the discipline lead for Systems Engineering and the team leader of the DE&S internal SE consultancy, which he has grown from scratch to a team of 60 systems engineers over the last six years. He also leads the DE&S Digital Engineering Implementation Team. Duncan has over thirty-years’ experience of developing safe and effective systems of systems, in: air defence, submarine combat systems, strategic command and control systems, operational and business information services, railways and land systems. Previous roles have included Chief Systems Engineer for rail in the UK Department for Transport, Chief Architect for MODs Command, Control, Computing and Communication systems and MOD acquisition reform team leader.

Duncan is a chartered professional engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and INCOSE Fellow. He was one of the authors of the SE Vision 2025, the lead author for the INCOSE UK Capability SE Guide and an author of the INCOSE UK Agile SE guide. He has presented over 20 peer reviewed papers (4 best papers) at INCOSE international symposia and INCOSE UK conferences. Duncan has held a range of formal positions within INCOSE and is currently the co-chair of the INCOSE System Safety Working Group.
Duncan is the Visiting Professor for Systems Thinking at the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical, and Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University.