Top Five Systems Engineering Issues within Department of Defense and Defense Industry

The following points should also be addressed:
• Define, implement, and monitor required SE practices and baselines for each
phase of a program beginning at Milestone A or equivalent. Institutionalize
effective SE practices described in DoD policy, the Defense
Acquisition Guidebook, and industry standards.
• Strengthen the CMMI® product suite to require demonstration of
organizational commitment to following the appraised processes on all
programs.
• Require DoD contract bidders to describe how effective SE practices are
applied to appropriate levels of their supply chain.
• Clarify and teach systems architecting and DODAF analysis as specific
examples of systems engineering.
• Require programs to apply appropriate SE measures across the life cycle.
Leverage work done by measurement groups (e.g., Practical Systems and
Software Measurement (PSM), Lean Aerospace Initiative). Develop and collect
measures to assess the value, effectiveness, and ROI of systems engineering.
• Require and monitor use of the DoD Risk Management Guide across programs.
Establish a joint government/industry working group to ensure coverage of
risk management best practices and to incorporate opportunity management.
• Define and promulgate appropriate change control processes for managing
interfaces for Systems of Systems (e.g., Service Acquisition Executive, PEO, and
warfighter levels).