Does a Bicycle need a Systems Engineering Management Plan?

NASA & INCOSE describe a Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) as the foundation document for activities conducted within an organisation or a programme. Authors diverge about the content of a SEMP but I will focus on when or why you might need one even for something as simple as riding a bike. If you are planning to design, develop and maintain a system or systems, you probably have a SEMP, even if you don’t call it that nor have it configured as a single document. But why on Earth would you care about that for something as simple as a bike?

If you ride a bicycle, you want it to get you reliably between destinations and you make plans about how you use it and when you need to replace consumables and ultimately the bike itself. The bicycle used for commuting to work, climbing and descending a mountain, riding around a BMX track, competing in the Tour de France or on an Olympic velodrome have very different specifications because they have very different use cases.

When I purchased my commuting bike I made some important modifications to the default specification:

·???????? the outer tubes were chosen to reflect that I would be riding 300+ days per year on Bristol’s potholed roads;

·???????? the gear set was customised because I like to turn a very slow crank, reflecting my complete lack of fitness;

·???????? and I fitted a stainless steel panier rack and full length mudguards, reflecting the amount I’d be carrying to and from the office and the need to protect it from the damp climate in the West of England.

Even though when purchasing a new bike it is probably bought largely off the shelf the prudent purchaser would be wise to be concerned about more than just the specification:

·???????? Perhaps you plan to assemble it yourself or add accessories like a bell or stand?

·???????? Do you plan to store it somewhere dry and secure, or are there times when it will be outside and exposed to the elements and opportunistic bike thieves?

·???????? Does your idea of maintaining a bicycle extend beyond oiling the chain and pumping the tyres up occasionally or will you want someone else to service it for you?

·???????? If you are prudent you’ll want to have a set of basic tools and a puncture repair kit with you, in case something goes wrong along the way.

·???????? If you are planning to ride it at night you need lights (which need to stay alight for the duration of the journey) and reflectors.

·???????? It will probably have gears that you want to change smoothly, steering & brakes that allow you to avoid potholes and cars along the way.

·???????? Whisper it quietly in the proximity of purists, but it may even be electrically assisted, in which case it is necessary to plan in the timely charging and maintenance of the battery.

·???????? Even if you are not a MAMIL (middle aged man in Lycra) you are likely to want clothes suitable for the conditions in which you expect to ride and a helmet.

So, how you plan to use the bike impacts upon what you need to procure, maintain and operate. ?A SEMP doesn’t need to be complicated, but without one in place there is a risk that a system developed without proper regard to the user requirements doesn’t perform in line with stakeholder expectations. Perhaps you think that the bicycle example is too trivial to merit system design but I’d argue that without thinking about the complete operational lifecycle before committing to a design, you’ll finish up with the wrong solution. The number of unhappy cyclists I’ve seen wheeling broken steeds home suggests that not everyone has a complete plan!

This example also highlights a few important aspects that differentiate a SEMP from a Design Development and Verification Plan (DDVP). A DDVP is prepared to make sure that a system can be developed, built and tested in a way that proves it complies with its specification. The DDVP of a bicycle only needs to worry about designing, developing and verifying that it will attract the attention and perform to the satisfaction of the purchaser. The SEMP involves a wider use case that takes account of how it will be operated and be maintained throughout its lifetime. A prudent buyer will look further than the go faster stripes and matching Lycra to avoid disappointment!

A SEMP extends to making sure that the product(s) within its scope have been specified correctly and that their entire lifecycle is compatible with the wider mission of the system(s). In my view any mission needs a Systems Engineering Management Plan already from the Conceptual Design stage: in mature organisations it should draw upon established processes. A raised risk appetite doesn’t imply chaos but rather a conscious choice to adjust acceptance thresholds and plan accordingly. How comprehensive a SEMP needs to be depends upon the complexity and criticality of the mission. Failing to plan and review completeness of conceptual design across the whole lifecycle prior to development and procurement, via a SEMP, increases the risk of reiteration of design with unpredictable, negative programmatic consequences.

The lifecycle for a space mission is much longer and complex than that of a bicycle but the same approach that I’ve discussed above can be applied to the SEMP. The James Webb telescope took over 20 years from concept to launch and Hubble is well into its fourth decade in orbit! In the next article I’ll discuss the topics that need to be addressed via the SEMP from the outset, how elements of the design need to be developed and qualified, and the review cycle needed to address not only how it is designed but also assure that the as built product conforms to that design.