DERA Systems Engineering Practices

This document provides an introduction to the systems engineering concepts and models used in the DERA
DERA SE Practices 2/2/03 6:10 PM
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Systems Engineering Practices.
The DERA Systems Engineering Practices is an evolving set of standards covering the engineering aspects
of the system life cycle. This set of standards will be a key component of the DERA Business Management
System (BMS). The overall objective of the DERA Systems Engineering Practices is that DERA shall
achieve the highest levels of quality in its systems engineering.
This document defines the systems engineering concepts, terminology and reference models used
throughout the DERA Systems Engineering Practices. It thus establishes a framework for common
understanding and communication for users of the DERA Systems Engineering Practices. To achieve this,
it describes systems engineering in terms of
- processes
- the inputs and outputs of these processes
- control actions and responsibilities of practitioners and managers undertaking systems engineering
projects.
The term ‘systems engineering’ has been interpreted in a wide variety of ways. This document develops a
view of the scope and nature of systems engineering through its descriptions of the technical, management
and business activities undertaken during the lifetime of a system. In doing so, it builds a frame of reference
that will assist structured access to components of the complete DERA Systems Engineering Practices. It
also implicitly establishes a scope and boundary to the DERA Systems Engineering Practices within the
DERA BMS
The processes and activities that comprise systems engineering practices are also evident from other
viewpoints in the organization. This document, therefore, harmonises the systems engineering perspective
of these business processes with the views from other business practices, e.g. project management,
procurement.
In the short term, within individual Sectors of DERA, this document can complement the existing local
quality systems and help establish a route toward the future corporate standards. In the longer term, across
DERA as a whole, it will remain a point of reference for both users and developers of the DERA Systems
Engineering Practices.
Furthermore, it is intended that this document will have a relevance and usefulness to suppliers to DERA;
suppliers both of complete systems and of components for integration into systems.