Transforming Our Systems Engineering Approach Using Digital Technology.

• Author: Dunlap, Holly
• Position: Viewpoint

Digital transformation is pervasive in our daily lives. Seemingly limitless and lightning quick access to people, information and services has the world thinking differently, getting more done and moving faster than ever before.

But how are we using the power of digital technology in our work to advance our national defense posture and accelerate the development and delivery of superior capabilities to the U.S. military and its allies?

For decades, the U.S. military has enjoyed technological superiority over potential adversaries. Now, the global dynamics of modern technology and their applications in military systems development are working to diminish this advantage. Maintaining this technological superiority while continuing to provide capabilities to our forces that are more advanced than those of our adversaries--who are unencumbered by the rules of our acquisition system--requires us to accelerate acquisition processes all together.

One of those key tenets is systems engineering, an inter-disciplinary process which, at its end, delivers a fully functioning system that meets customers' requirements. In addition, the emphasis now is on increasing flexibility, innovation and rapid capability development as well. The challenge is doing them all while remaining true to the fundamental acquisition principles of quality, timeliness and accountability.

One very concrete and clear response is the revised 5000 series Adaptive Acquisition Pathways policies which provide a new set of key tenets for the defense acquisition system that are intended to increase flexibility and enable innovation. But this alone is not enough.

Modern technology is shifting the systems engineering landscape. Today, the systems engineering "V" model is still relied upon, but in shorter increments and in a more collaborative, integrated manner with a view toward a broader understanding of the system mission and lifecycle. It is being imbued with the agility to iteratively leverage new technological advances and capabilities as they are developed. Technology is providing the answer and is partially driving the change as modern engineering practices have outpaced current policy and process.

Industry is rising to the challenge.

"In our industry, success isn't just about speed on the battle-field, but speed to the battlefield. Working with data from all different formats and linking high-fidelity models together allows us to be faster and more predictive in our execution,"...