Practice over perfection; A case study in building an in‐house Systems Engineering Capability

Abstract

This paper describes a case study in building an in‐house Systems Engineering capability from concept through to delivery within Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S). In a 21‐month period the capability grew from an idea to a team of 22 delivering £3M‐£4M of savings to the organisation. The paper describes the growth of the team over four phases: (1) problem understanding and approach; (2) proof of concept (initial recruitment, operation and benefits delivery), (3) establishing the team and franchising the model to other disciplines; (4) further growth and embedding the model into the organisation's make/buy model. We describe the factors that contributed to the achievement of the team success including: a clear understanding of the systemic barriers to building an in‐house SE capability; the use of Kotter's 8 step change process; a clear focus on delivering value to key stakeholders; the use of simple management processes and Systems Engineering tools; and the development of a suitable culture and selection of the right people. Finally, the authors identify some key lessons that might be applicable for others.

A SoS Approach for Engineering Capability Programs

“…This implies that overall Defence acquisition in Australia is fairly mature and that any improvements will be incremental. In contrast, capability engineering, the activity of managing defence capability coordination and integration above the level of individual projects (Kemp and Daw, 2014), is an emerging activity in Australia (Gumley, 2011;Cook et al 2013). Thus, capability engineering is a fertile area to seek a healthy return on investment from enterprise improvements.…”