Kevin Forsberg - My Pioneers of Systems Engineering ( Post #6 )

Introduction

Kevin Forsberg (born 1934) is an American systems engineer practitioner and member of INCOSE . He started his career working for Lockheed Martin Space Systems at the Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Palo Alto, California. In the mid-1950s he participated in the Corona program. After graduation Forsberg started working for NASA. Late 1960s he returned to Lockheed, where he worked over a decade at the Research Laboratories of the Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Palo Alto, California.

Dr. Forsberg has +30 years?of industrial experience in Systems Engineering, project, and proposal management. His experience ranges from research projects, to development efforts, through to full-scale production implementation. He specializes in systems, hardware and software project management, and the related processes, techniques, and skills essential to achieving predictable project performance.

Late 1970s he started as independent business consultant, and co-founded the management training and consulting company The Center for Systems Management, Inc. providing training and consulting to both government and commercial clients.?

He received his BS in Civil Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1956, and proceeded to study at Stanford University, where he received his MA and in 1961 his PhD in Engineering Mechanics.

Source of inspiration ( The V-Model and SE Handbook )

"Today, the Systems Engineering Vee is omnipresent in almost every systems development environment. It has an iconic status" ( Tim Weilkiens et al, 2022, pag 343 ). Dr Forsberg in collaborations with Hal Mooz have been attributed with the development of the Vee System Engineering model, first published at INCOSE in 1991 ( named NCOSE for still being American only ) .?This model is used throughout the world for the development of complex systems, and therefore a source of inspiration and reference for a huge number of academic and industrial publications.

"The V-Model emerged probably in the 1960s, though there seem to be no public citations available" ( Tim Weilkiens et al, 2022, pag 343 ).

In 1979, Barry W. Boehm ( another of the Systems Engineering heavyweights ) published a paper that was built up on the Vee in the context of Software Engineering to emphasize the importance of verification and validation. In a systems context, the “V-Chart” ( today called V-Model ) was presented at the first annual conference of NCOSE already mentioned above ( today’s INCOSE International Symposium ). Kevin Forsberg and Harold Mooz introduced the “V-Chart” focused on projects realizing systems ( Tim Weilkiens et al, 2022).

The Kevin Forsberg's book Visualizing Project Management: Models and Frameworks for Mastering Complex Systems, unquestionably his most emblematic publication , co-authored by Hal Mooz and Howard Cotterman, provides valuable insights into Systems Engineering, Project Management, and the application of the Vee Model in managing complex systems. It explores various models and frameworks for project visualization and management, including the Vee Model. This book has been influential resource for professionals in the field and have contributed to advancing the practice of systems engineering.

Kevin was Chair and Co-chair of INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook (versions 2a, 3.0, 3.1, and 4.0) from 2003 up to 20015. The INCOSE 's flagship product and most influential in the global Systems Engineering community. In my role as editor of the fifth edition I was in contact with Kevin at the beginning, although it seemed that he was going to get involved once again he decided to pass the bar to a new generation of editors.

His Most Relevant Professional Recognitions

• Awarded the NASA Public Service Medal (1981) in recognition of his outstanding technical and managerial contributions to the Space Shuttle Program.
• Awarded the CIA Seal Medallion for excellence in Project Management training, and in recognition of his pioneering efforts in the field of Project Management (1998).
• Awarded the Pioneer Award for INCOSE (International Council on System Engineering), jointly with Hal Mooz (2001).

The Five Essentials Model

This model was developed by Dr. Forsberg et al to provide a visual depiction of the integrated Project Management and Systems Engineering processes and is intended to:

• Communicate how a project should be managed.
• Encourage stakeholder involvement.
• Orchestrate the technical development process.
• Keep the health of the project transparent and available.
• Encourage pursuit of high-value opportunities while managing their risks.
• Trigger swift action to address problems.

A high degree of integration between Project Managers and Systems Engineers is needed, because "greater integration between Project Management and Systems Engineering reduces unproductive tension, a cause of project delays, cost increases, and, sometimes, project failure "( Eric Rebentisch , 2017). In this sense, Kevin and his colleagues were truly pioneers in studying the optimal integration of both roles, characterizing the behavior of project managers, systems engineers, and teams that exhibited consistent successes as differentiated from behaviors that led to troubled and failed projects.

As a result that, they came to the conclusion that the process model for a successful project team is based on these same five essentials ( shown in the following figure ):

A brief explanation of the five essentials:

Organizational commitment: The foundation for the project that includes:

1. a culture responsive to the project manager;
2. the project team’s charter to do the job;
3. the financial and other necessary resources; and
4. the tools and training for effective and efficient execution.

Communication: The language and the techniques used by a particular person or group to achieve understanding. In project management, this is the essential that enables team members to interact effectively and function as a team.

Teamwork: Efficiently working together to achieve acommon goal, with acknowledged interdependency and trust, acceptance of a common code of conduct, and with a shared reward.

Project cycle: The project’s overall strategic and tactical management approach that is performed in periods and phases punctuated by decision events ( blue arrow in the figure ). The broadest project cycle usually starts with the identification of user needs and ends with disposal of project products. The project cycle is comprised of three aspects:

1. Business,
2. Budget, and
3. Technical.

The technical aspect identifies the activities and events required to develop the optimum technical solution in the most efficient manner, a Systems Engineering responsibility.

Management elements: The ten categories of interactive management responsibilities, techniques, and tools that are situationally applied throughout all phases of the project cycle by all stakeholders:

1. Project Requirements,
2. Organizational Options,
3. Project Team,
4. Project Planning,
5. Opportunities and Risks,
6. Project Control,
7. Project Visibility,
8. Project Status, and
9. Corrective Action,
10. and are held intact by the rim, Project Leadership

The wheel progressing along the axle represents the project’s logical sequence of events. Turning the dial (rotating the wheel) represents the dynamic selection and application of the technique(s) and tool(s) appropriate to the project situation at any point and to any aspect of the cycle.

Thank you Kevin Forsberg

Kevin Forsberg's contributions have helped shape the Systems Engineering Vee Model into a widely recognized and utilized framework for the development of complex systems. His work has influenced the field of Systems Engineering, providing guidance to engineers and project teams in achieving successful outcomes.

When I read the first editions of the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook, I always dreamed of being a Kevin, but honestly that was impossible, but that inner strength led me to be the editor of the 5th edition. Thank you Kevin for being a key reference for me.

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