Course Description
Fundamentals of Systems Engineering (APPEL-FSE)
Audience
This course is designed for novice NASA systems engineers, functional engineers, project managers, integrated product team members, and business managers. Those involved in or supporting a system development will improve their abilities to work as an integrated team.
Goal
This course introduces the methods and techniques for a structured systems development process that proceeds from requirements to concept to production to operation and is based upon NASA policy guidelines, specifically NPR 7123.1A and 7120.5D. The NASA practice of systems engineering is the glue that works across all engineering and project management disciplines to tie customer needs to the right solution. Systems engineering focuses on the interfaces between the people, processes, and products that are often outside the responsibility of any one function or discipline. This course equips your teams with the knowledge necessary to realize successful solutions.
The course is structured as a five-day class with an option to provide additional hands-on systems engineering life cycle experience, to include a focused activity such as a project review, for example, SRR, PDR or CDR, or another life cycle activity tailored to meet a specific Center need.
Learning Methods
Learning will be accomplished through lecture and class discussion. Attendees then practice the “how-to” of the principles through case studies and illustrative examples. Practical exercises provide experience in the techniques and decisions required in a real world environment.
If the hands-on life cycle activity option is selected, the participants will develop and present appropriate artifacts and content based upon a real NASA case study. This activity will be conducted post-course with guidance from the instructor.
Specific Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the purpose of Systems Engineering
- Describe the SE process incorporating NASA policy guidelines (NPRs 7123.1A and 7120.5D)
- Summarize the process for system requirements development and management
- Describe the system definition process (concepts and architecting)
- Defend project decisions and trade-off analyses
- Conduct product and project risk analyses and mitigation based upon NASA policies and practices
- Incorporate reliability, availability and supportability considerations into the design process
- Explain performance measurement needs
- Describe the system implementation process
- Explain verification and validation activities
- Explain entry/exit criteria for key technical review control gates per NPRs 7123.1A and 7120.5D
