Creating a Mission Architecture Step to Inform the System Engineering Process

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to develop a structured engineering mechanism that allows decision makers to have confidence in data at any given point of design and development for complex defense systems. The research findings result in the establishment of an additional step that initiates the systems engineering process and permeates throughout the design and development of the acquisition product. The added step, described herein as the Mission Architecture Step, is initiated early in the mission operational requirements phase and defines the mission in terms of functions. These functions are then decomposed during a Mission Analysis so as to produce specific, quantifiable, measurable points that are captured in a Mission Analysis Plan. The primary benefit to this early identification is that it provides a basis for developing consistent assessment tools. Consistency in evaluation tools, tests and data analysis is key to understanding a system or component performance. Application of this new process is demonstrated using a generic missile defense system composed of kill chain functions – command and control, sensor operation, target negation. All data used is open source information and therefore not controlled as sensitive. The direct implementation of the Mission Architecture Step provides a program manager/decision maker the necessary information to better manage and control resources.