SYST 210: System Design

Fall, 2008

Course Description

SYST 210 introduces the systems engineering design and integration process, including the development of functional, physical, and operational architectures. The emphasis of this course is on requirements engineering, functional modeling for design, formulation and analysis of physical design alternatives. Methods and software tools for systems engineering design are introduced. Class time and location:  Tuesday and Thursday 12:00-1:15, Innovation Hall 222
Instructor:  Kathryn Blackmond Laskey email:  klaskey@gmu.edu
web:  http://www.ite.gmu.edu/~klaskey
phone:  703-993-1644 Office hours:  Tuesday 2:00-4:00 or by appointment
Prerequisites: 30 undergraduate hours
Text: The Engineering Design of Systems: Models and Methods by D. Buede

Course Objectives

Students will learn how to:
  1. Create and critique a process model, a hierarchical decomposition of the transformation of inputs into outputs. [Department objectives 1 and 2]
  2. Create requirements for a system by creating and using an operational concept, external systems diagram, and objectives hierarchy for the system. [Department objectives 1 and 2]
  3. Define functional, physical and operational architectures for a system. [Department objectives 1 and 2]
  4. Apply methods from decision analysis to select among options for system design, including the analysis of buy/build decisions. [Department objective 1]
  5. Contribute to group problem solving. [Department objective 4]
  6. Write technical documents. [Department objective 5]
  7. Present technical results. [Department objective 5]

Electronic Communication

Everyone in the class will be subscribed to the class email list.  The email list is used to communicate with students outside of class.  You can send messages to the list by emailing SYST210-L@gmu.edu. You are subscribed with your mason email account. If you prefer to receive email at another address, you can also subscribe yourself with the other address by visiting http://listserv.gmu.edu.

The instructor can be contacted at klaskey@gmu.edu.  Please make sure you include SYST210 (no spaces) in the subject line of your email.  Otherwise, I cannot guarantee that I will respond to your email due to the large volume of email I receive.

Course Requirements

Grades will be based on:
  • Regular weekly homework assignments (15% of grade; lowest one dropped)
  • Midterm exams (20% of grade for each exam)
  •  Quizzes (10% of grade; lowest quiz grade is dropped)
  • Group (about 4 students) project and class presentation (30% of grade)
  • Final exam covering material in entire course (25% of grade)
    • Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the posted due date. Assignments may be handed in on paper or uploaded electronically through Blackboard. If you have to turn in an assignment late, you are expected to let the instructor know before the due date and negotiate a date by which the assignment will be turned in.  If you follow this procedure, half credit will be given for assignments turned in by the date you have negotiated. 

    There is a great deal of work expected outside of class. Students are expected to have read the assignment prior to class.  Class discussion of topics is an important part of the course.  Group projects take considerable effort during the second half of the semester.  Students are encouraged to turn in group projects for comments and guidance.  Attendance will be taken in class.  Good class attendance and strongclass participation are important factors when a student's grade is on the borderline.

    CORE Software

    This course uses the CORE suite of tools for modeling and simulation to support system design.  An educational version of CORE is available for students enrolled in SYST 210.   You can download CORE from the Vitech Corporation web site.  Under CORE 5.0, go to the Academic link to download the academic version.  After you have downloaded it or inserted the CD, install it on your computer and start the software.  A window will pop up requesting an activation key.  Click on the Request Key button and follow the onscreen instructions.  An activation key will be sent to you by email.  Copy and paste it into the window and you will be able to use CORE.

    Project

    Your project is an excellent opportunity to apply what you are learning to a problem in system design.  

    Lecture Notes

    Lecture notes are available on Blackboard.  Notes will be made available prior to the class in which the unit is introducted. 

    Class Schedule and Homework Assignments

    Week Subject Assignment (Reading, Project, Homework)
    1:  08/26, 08/28 Introduction and Course Overview
    SE Design Process
    		 Notes:  Units 1 and 2
    Text:  Chapters 1 and 2
    2:  09/02, 09/04 SE Design Process
    Intro to Model-Based Systems Engineering
    Working in Teams     		Notes:  Units 2 and 4
    Text:  Chapter 2
     Assignment 1 (Intro) due 9/02
    3:  09/09, 9/11 CORE Lab (Basic Tutorial)
    Concept of Operations
    		 Notes:  Units 3 and 5
    Text:  Chapter 3
    Assignment 2 (Teams) due 09/09
    Deliverable 1 (Description & References - first tab in project notebook) due 09/11
    4:  09/16, 09/18 Defining System Boundaries -- External Systems and Context
    SADT Modeling Basics
    		 Notes:  Unit 5
    Text:  Chapter 6
    Assignment 3 (CORE Lab) due 09/16
    Deliverable 2 (Project Plan) due 09/18
    5:  09/23, 09/25 Objectives Hierarchy
    Identifying and Documenting Stakeholder Requirements
    		 Notes:  Unit 6
    Text:  Chapter 6
    Assignment 4 (Need statement and ConOps) due 09/23
    6:  09/30, 10/02 Identifying & Documenting Stakeholder Requirements
    Requirements Lab (Assignment 7)
    		 Notes:  Unit 6
    Text: Chapter 6
    Assignment 5 (External Systems Diagram and Objectives Hierarchy) due 09/30
    Deliverable 3 (Draft Draft Statement of Need, Operational Concept, and External Systems Diagram) due 10/02
    7:  10/07, 10/09 Functional Modeling and Decomposition
    Review
    		 Notes:  Units 1-6
    Text:  Chapter 6
    Assignment 6: Midterm Preview due 10/09
    8:  10/14, 10/16 Columbus Day (no class 10/07)
    Midterm
    		 Notes:  Midterm covers Units 1-6
    Text:  Midterm covers Chapters 1-3, 6
    9:  10/21, 10/23 Functional Modeling and Decomposition
    CORE Lab (Functional Modeling & Decomposition)

    		 Notes:  Units 7, 8
    Text:  Chapter 7
    Midterm Rework due 10/23
    10:  10/28, 10/30 Physical Architecture
    Operational Architecture
    		 Notes:  Units 8 and 9
    Text:  Chapters 8 and 9
    Assignment 8 (Functional Architecture) due 10/28
    Deliverable 4 (Draft Objectives Hierarchy and Originating Requirements) due 10/30
    11:  11/04, 11/06 Physical and Operational Architecture (continued)
    Interface Design
    		 Text: Chapters 8, 9 and 10
    Notes:  Units  8 and 9
    Assignment 9 (Physical and Operational Architecture) due 11/04
    12:  11/11, 11/13 Interface Design
    Decision Analysis for Trade Studies
    		 Text: Chapters 10, 13
    Notes:  Unit 10 and 11
    Deliverable 5 (Draft Functional, Physical and Operational Architecture) due 11/13
    13:  11/18, 11/20 Integration and Qualification

    		 Text:  Chapter 11
    Notes:  Unit 11
    Assignment 10 (Interface, Decision Analysis) due 11/20
    14:  11/25, 11/27 Object Modeling and SYSML
    Thanksgiving (no class)
    		 Text:  Chapter 12.5, supplementary readings
    Notes:  Units 13
    Draft Final Report Due 11/25
    15:  12/02, 12/04 Project Presentations

    		 Time slots to be assigned
    16:  12/09, 12/11, 12/16
    		 Study session  12:00 - 1:15 Tuesday 12/09, location TBA
    Final exam 10:30 - 1:15 PM Tuesday, 12/16 IN 222     		Final Exam Preview due at study session (or in my box or uploaded to Blackboard in Room 111 ST2 prior to start of study session);  Project Final Report Due Thursday 12/11 4:30 PM in SEOR Office Room 111 ST2