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Throughout 2007, a National Research Council committee led by Dr. Paul Kaminski (former DUSD/AT&L) and Gen. Lester Lyles (USAF, ret.) conducted a study on the role systems engineering plays in the early phases of the defense acquisition life cycle. Terry Jaggers, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology, and Engineering, requested the study. Our own Dr. Dave Jacques, AFIT’s curriculum chair for systems engineering, was invited to brief the committee last year to help them in preparing for their work. The committee’s specific areas of interest included the relationship between systems engineering and program outcome, a review of the systems engineering workforce, and general systems engineering functions and guidelines. Students and practioners of defense acquisition and systems engineering alike will find several ideas in the study useful to their work during Pre-Milestone A/B activities. Recommendations include a checklist of 20 of the most important outputs of the systems engineering process and a description of “Six Seeds of Failure” to avoid or manage. AFIT’s role in graduate education of systems engineers and its IDE program are described, noting that “AFIT has produced more than 200 graduates of its master’s and certificate programs in systems engineering and architecture . . . since 2002.” AFIT’s effort to expand its graduate systems engineering program through distance learning to individuals and organizations across the country was highlighted. The study also describes the creation of the Air Force Center for Systems Engineering and its role in influencing and institutionalizing the systems engineering process and educating the workforce. The committee pointed out that “The AF CSE has delivered on the goals outlined above and published comprehensive case studies . . . and several SE guides . . .”

Even though this study took a year to complete, the committee still did not have the time or resources needed to accomplish a “deep-dive” into all of the possible programs that they believed held valuable lessons learned. Therefore, they relied on formal work already published on systems engineering such as case studies produced by AFIT’s CSE. Dr. Jacques and Dr. John Colombi (former ENG faculty member, now Riverside Research contract faculty), worked with several of the committee members to look across six CSE case studies to identify common problems and gaps in the SE process. In particular, the committee referenced the Center’s C-5A Galaxy and B-2 case studies to support their recommendations.

For those interested in earlier reviews concerning the area of pre-program acquisition, the committee includes a summary of work performed during the last 14 years by the National Research Council, Defense Science Board and AF Scientific Advisory Board, National Defense Industrial Association, Government Accountability Office, and the findings of the Defense Acquisition Performance Assessment.

A free pdf file of the 122 page study can be downloaded at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12065.html. AF CSE case studies, systems engineering guides, and other products are publically releasable and can be found at http://www.afit.edu/cse.