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Engineering Systems Integration
Integration planning sometimes assumes a model that covers the tasks
(and their subtasks or activities) that are planned to carry out integration.
Terms such as big-bang integration (where all components are brought
together at once), bottom-up integration that focuses on a functional approach,
modularity integration (Burkatzky 2007), top-down integration, agile integration, pipeline integration (Lewis 2006), are prevalent approaches to integration, and the list goes on (Burkatzky 2007). The sheer number of integration
models is suggestive that no one model has been widely accepted. An integration model (similar to systems engineering process models that describe
the steps and the milestones that must be met to move from one step to the
next) defines the nature of integration and the mechanisms for integration
for each pair-wise integration of objects to demonstrate the requisite functionalities. In essence, the integration planning with the aid of an integration
model defines the components and interfaces of each function, the tests that
need to be performed to demonstrate the requisite functionalities, and the
level(s) of acceptability for the performances (and losses) of those functions.
Events
Planning for integration is foundational for knowing what tasks need to be
done, who is responsible for the tasks, and what activities need to be accomplished to complete the tasks. Planning focuses on the events—those occurrences that result in progress toward satisfying the set of requirements for
the product or service and that have measurable outcomes. Scheduling is the
association of temporal knowledge with an event.
Planning and scheduling present different views of events. Planning
shows sequencing, prescience, and concurrencies, that is, causal relation(s)
between events. Scheduling reveals the duration of the tasks and activities
leading up an event, the duration of an event, and the uncertainties in these
durations.
The concept of “project” includes stakeholders, tasks, and processes. The
result of a task is an event. For example, the project may be to hire people
(Appendix 1: Outline 1.2.8.6.1). The stakeholders include the hiring staff, the
applicants, the organizations who manage the advertising venues, the workers with whom the new hire will be working, the people who are in contact
with the new hire (e.g., customers and people who associate the new hire
with the hiring organization), and the family members of the new hire. The
task for the hiring organization is to fill positions; the task for the applicants
is to be hired. The processes of “hire” include “advertise,” “review application,” “interview,” “check references,” and associated activities (from the
perspective of the hiring organization). The processes “to be hired” for the
applicant include “learn of company intent to hire,” “fill out application,”
Engineering Systems Integration
Integration planning sometimes assumes a model that covers the tasks
(and their subtasks or activities) that are planned to carry out integration.
Terms such as big-bang integration (where all components are brought
together at once), bottom-up integration that focuses on a functional approach,
modularity integration (Burkatzky 2007), top-down integration, agile integration, pipeline integration (Lewis 2006), are prevalent approaches to integration, and the list goes on (Burkatzky 2007). The sheer number of integration
models is suggestive that no one model has been widely accepted. An integration model (similar to systems engineering process models that describe
the steps and the milestones that must be met to move from one step to the
next) defines the nature of integration and the mechanisms for integration
for each pair-wise integration of objects to demonstrate the requisite functionalities. In essence, the integration planning with the aid of an integration
model defines the components and interfaces of each function, the tests that
need to be performed to demonstrate the requisite functionalities, and the
level(s) of acceptability for the performances (and losses) of those functions.
Events
Planning for integration is foundational for knowing what tasks need to be
done, who is responsible for the tasks, and what activities need to be accomplished to complete the tasks. Planning focuses on the events—those occurrences that result in progress toward satisfying the set of requirements for
the product or service and that have measurable outcomes. Scheduling is the
association of temporal knowledge with an event.
Planning and scheduling present different views of events. Planning
shows sequencing, prescience, and concurrencies, that is, causal relation(s)
between events. Scheduling reveals the duration of the tasks and activities
leading up an event, the duration of an event, and the uncertainties in these
durations.
The concept of “project” includes stakeholders, tasks, and processes. The
result of a task is an event. For example, the project may be to hire people
(Appendix 1: Outline 1.2.8.6.1). The stakeholders include the hiring staff, the
applicants, the organizations who manage the advertising venues, the workers with whom the new hire will be working, the people who are in contact
with the new hire (e.g., customers and people who associate the new hire
with the hiring organization), and the family members of the new hire. The
task for the hiring organization is to fill positions; the task for the applicants
is to be hired. The processes of “hire” include “advertise,” “review application,” “interview,” “check references,” and associated activities (from the
perspective of the hiring organization). The processes “to be hired” for the
applicant include “learn of company intent to hire,” “fill out application,”