Intelligent Transportation Systems

T3 Webinar:

Incorporating Systems Engineering into your Business Plan

August 2, 2007

Text version of Webinar presentation:

"Deploying Systems Engineering Processes" (Mississippi DOT)"

Description of image or images on a slide contained in brackets.

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"Deploying Systems Engineering Processes" (Mississippi DOT)

Presented by:
Michael Stokes

Talking Technology & Transportation (T3) Webinar
August 2, 2007

Slide 1: Systems Engineering Initiatives

  • Developed Statewide ITS Architecture
  • Developed Mississippi ITS Strategic Plan
  • Created an ITS Section in the Traffic Engineering Division
  • Hosted SE Workshops
  • Hired Statewide ITS Integration Team

The mention of these vendors does not constitute an endorsement of these vendors by the U.S. DOT

Slide 2: ITS Integrator Contract

Task 1 - Program Management & Coordination

Task 2 - Update ITS Planning Documents

Task 3 - Conduct Needs Analysis

Task 4 - Develop Concept of Operations

Task 5 - Develop MDOT Amber Alert Rule

Task 6 - Define System Requirements

  • High Level System Requirements
  • Detailed System Requirements
  • Software Functional Requirements

Task 7 - Design MDOT's ATMS (Advanced Traffic Magagement Systems)

Task 8 - Provide TMC (Traffic Magagement Center) Overview

Task 9 - Develop ITS Business Plan

Task 10 - ITS Field Devices Design & Specifications

Slide 3: ITS Mission Statement

MDOT will use ITS technologies to improve the quality of life for State residents and visitors by providing more reliable, informative, safer, and flexible passenger and freight multi-modal transportation services.

Slide 4: SE Process Review

  • Low number of true ITS projects or Construction Projects with large ITS Systems.
  • Mississippi was recovering from Katrina.
  • The SE Process has been evolving a great deal over the last few years and MDOT was aiming at a moving SE target.
  • MDOT SE Processes are constantly being compared to CalTrans & FDOT.

Slide 5: SE Process Review — Areas of Improvement

  • Perform Life Cycle Analysis
  • Concept of Operations
  • System Requirements
  • Traceability Matrix
  • System Qualifications (Test Requirements)
  • Configuration/Change Management
  • Risk Management
  • SE Process Improvement

Slide 6: SE Process Review — Recommendations

  • Adopt a Defined Organizational Process for SE
  • Improve SE Competency for ITS Staff
  • Mainstream ITS Planning
  • Mainstream ITS Projects Development
  • Form an ITS and SE Working Group
  • Establish a SE Document Library for the ITS Program
  • Continue Formal & Informal Process Improvement Efforts

Slide 7: Systems Engineering Management Plan

Slide 8: Benefits of Systems Engineering

[This slide is titled "Systems Engineering Management Plan." It shows the V Model. The V Model resembles the letter "V" with the addition of two wings extending from the top left and right of the V. The V is divided into 14 steps, beginning on the top left wing and ending at the right wing. The steps are in sequence and extend down the left side of the V, to the bottom of the V, and up the right side of the V. The steps, from left to right are:

  • Regional Architecture(s) (the lone step on the left wing)
  • Feasibility Study/Concept of Exploration
  • Concept of Operations
  • System Requirements
  • High-level Design
  • Detailed Design
  • Software/Hardware Development and Field Testing (the step at the bottom of the V)
  • Unit/Device Testing
  • Subsystem Verification
  • System Verification & Deployment
  • System Validation
  • Operations and Maintenance
  • Changes and Upgrades (the first step on the right wing) and Requirements/Replacement (the last step on the right wing and last step on the V Model).
Opposite the steps running down left side of the V is an arrow "Decomposition and Definition." Along the bottom of the V is an arrow "Timeline." Running up, along the right side of the V, is an arrow "Integration and Recomposition." Finally, arrows within the V connect steps on the left and right sides of the V, indicating a validation process of a left side step that take place in a right side step. From top to bottom:
  • Concept of Operations (step) opposite System Validation/Initial Deployment, where the link is the Systems Validation Strategy/Plan
  • System Requirements (step) opposite System Verification/Systems Integration, where the link is the Subsystem Verification Plan (Systems Acceptance)
  • High-Level Design/Subsystem Requirements opposite Subsystem Verification /Subsystem Integration, where the link is the Subsystem Verification Plan
  • Detailed Design (step) opposite Unit Testing (step), where the link is the Unit Test Plan
This slide displays the overlap between the traditional transportation project model and the V Model. Across the top of the slide, the steps to the traditional model appear from left to right. The steps are:
  • Transportation Planning
  • Programming/Budgeting
  • Project Initiation
  • Preliminary Engineering
  • Plans, Specifications & Estimates
  • Construction
  • Project Closeout
  • Operations & Maintenance
  • Changes & Updates
  • Retirement/Replacement.
Below the traditional model appears the V Model. The V Model resembles the letter "V" with the addition of two wings extending from the top left and right of the V. The V is divided into 14 steps, beginning on the top left wing and ending at the right wing. The steps are in sequence and extend down the left side of the V, to the bottom of the V, and up the right side of the V. The steps, from left to right are:
  • Regional Architecture(s) (the lone step on the left wing)
  • Feasibility Study/Concept of Exploration
  • Concept of Operations
  • System Requirements
  • High-level Design
  • Detailed Design
  • Software/Hardware Development and Field Testing (the step at the bottom of the V)
  • Unit/Device Testing
  • Subsystem Verification
  • System Verification & Deployment; System Validation
  • Operations and Maintenance
Changes and Upgrades (the first step on the right wing) and Requirements/Replacement (the last step on the right wing and last step on the V Model).

Opposite the steps running down left side of the V is an arrow "Decomposition and Definition." Along the bottom of the V is an arrow "Timeline." Running up, along the right side of the V, is an arrow "Integration and Recomposition."

Finally, four broken lines drop from the traditional model at the top of the slide to various steps on the V Model, indicating the parallel processes on both models. A line drops from Project Initiation on the traditional model to Concept of Operations on the V Model; from Preliminary Engineering to Systems Requirements; from Plans, Specifications, and Estimates to Software/Hardware Development and Field Testing; and from Construction to System Validation.

Next, on top of the V-Diagram, steps in the Traditional Project Development process run from left to right. The Traditional Transportation Planning step is above the SE Regional Architecture phase on the V-Diagram; the Programming/Budgeting Project Initiation step is above the SE Needs Assessment, Concept Selection, and Project Planning phases; the Preliminary Engineering, Plan & Specs, and Construction steps are above the following SE phases: SE Management Planning, ConOps, Systems Requirements, High-Level Design/Subsystems Requirements, Detailed Design, Software coding/Hardware Fabrication, Unit Testing, Subsystem Verification/Integrations, System Verification/Integration, and System Validation/Initial Deployment. The Traditional Project Development steps of Project Closeout are above the SE phases of Operations and Maintenance, Changes and Upgrades, and Retirement/Replacement.

Next, on top of steps in the Traditional Project Development process, steps in the ITS Life Cycle run across from left to right. Phase—1 of the ITS Life Cycle—Interfacing with Planning and the Regional Architecture is above Traditional Project Development step of Traditional Transportation Planning; Phase 0—Concept Exploration and Benefits Analysis is above Programming/Budgeting Project Initiation; Phase 1—Project Planning and Concept of Operations Development is above both Programming/Budgeting Project Initiation and Preliminary Engineering; Phase 2—System Definition and Design is above both Preliminary Engineering and Plans & Specs; Phase 3—System Development and Implementation is above Construction; Phase 4-Validation, Operations and Maintenance, Changes & Upgrades and Phase 5-System Retirement/Replacement is above Project Closeout (O&M, C&U, R&R).

Finally, the slide lists cross-cutting activities: Stakeholder Involvement; Elicitation; Project Management Practices; Program Metrics; Configuration Management; Process Improvement; Decision Gates; Trade Studies; Technical Reviews, and; Traceability. ]

Slide 9: Building the Foundation

  • Needs Analysis
  • Communications Study
  • Business Plan
  • Concept of Operations
  • System/Software Requirements
    • High Level
    • Detailed
  • Stakeholder Agreements
    • Cities
    • Other State Agencies
    • Law Enforcement

Slide 10: Presentation Contact Information

Michael Stokes
Intelligent Transportation Systems Manager
Mississippi Department of Transportation
mstokes@mdot.state.ms.us

Access T3 Archives at: http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/res_t3_archive.asp



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