SMC SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (VOL-1 of 2): PRIMER AND HANDBOOK - CONCEPTS, PROCESSES, AND TECHNIQUES (4TH ED) (11-MAR-2013)

SMC SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (VOL-1 of 2): PRIMER AND HANDBOOK - CONCEPTS, PROCESSES, AND TECHNIQUES (4TH ED) (11-MAR-2013)., This booklet was prepared for the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). It is intended as a primer to systems engineering (SE) that focuses on acquisition of large DoD systems, especially space. It is not all-inclusive and should be supplemented with Air Force and Department of Defense (DoD) directives, policies and procedures. This SE handbook is written to provide SMC personnel with fundamental SE concepts and techniques as they apply to space, launch, and ground control systems and the SMC environment. The intended audience includes the project officer, junior systems engineer, an engineer in another discipline that must perform SE functions, or the experienced engineer who needs a suitable reference. The authors recognize that SE subject matter is very broad and that approaches to performing SE vary greatly. This exposition is not intended to cover them all. It addresses general concepts and common processes, tools, and techniques that are mostly familiar to SMC. It also provides information on recommended SE practices and pitfalls to avoid. Many references are provided for the reader to consult for more in-depth knowledge. This handbook describes SE as it could be applied to the development of major space, launch, and ground control systems. SE provides a disciplined approach that covers the entire lifecycle of a system to include development, design, manufacture, integration and test, and operation and sustainment. Consequently, the handbook’s scope properly includes SE functions regardless of whether they are performed by the AFSPC operational user, SMC system program office (Program Office), or a systems contractor. This book is also prepared to accommodate the SMC SE training program. It is written to accompany formal SMC SE training courses. The first chapter introduces the reader to system of systems and family of systems. Chapter 2 expands on SE concepts and terms and provides a more detailed explanation of the SE process. The end-to-end life cycle on a major space system is covered in Chapter 3. The first three chapters provide the basis for Chapter 4 – SE management. Chapter 5 introduces the reader to common SE tools and methods; Chapter 6 on specialty engineering integration, and Chapter 7 on validation and verification. The chapters are supplemented by appendices that include templates and examples to perform focused SE related tasks. Many different sources were used to prepare this book including the latest DoD Instruction (DoDI), Air Force Instruction (AFI), previous SE handbooks developed for SMC, and a number of engineering publications that are cited throughout this book.