The nature of problems encountered in the system engineering domain has over the past thirty years grown in complexity. The integration of technology with human activity systems to produce complex capabilities has required a continual change in our definition and application of systems engineering. This paper examines the typology of problems associated with the development of modern complex systems and combines the ideas of system engineering and cognitive problem solving to propose a set of attributes that may be used to characterise system engineering problems. It is proposed that this set of attributes is sufficient to enable the selection of methods, tools and techniques necessary to solve the problem.

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Abstract.Partitioning national Defence into portfolios, where key capabilities and activities are appropriately aggregated together, has been suggested as an effective way to manage national Defence. This paper examines in detail the application of a heuristic approach to achieve this, assessing the efficacy of various ways of partitioning national Defence using the established heuristics of systems architecting. The insights gained may then be applied to configure or refine the structure and to establish linking of the portfolios.

Systems engineering is traditionally used as a method of design. In this study, it has been used as a method of enquiry into organisational behaviour in a sociotechnical system. A mix of methodologies from both the functionalist and interpretative social paradigms has been adopted. The methodology mix comprises Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and Structured Analysis and Design Techniques. This hybrid methodology allowed the use of rich pictures and architectural models to analyse organisational behaviour from two representative views: the human activity system and the operational architecture.The paper relates the goals of developing an understanding of the current organisational operational behaviour and then discusses the use of methodological pluralism, its rationale and the use of a revised Total Systems Intervention (TSI) model by Jackson based on contemporary critical systems thinking as a checklist for pluralism. The hybrid methodology using both soft and hard methods employed rich pictures and Defence Architecture Framework (DAF) compliant architecture models (AS-IS views) to enquire into organisational behaviour. The DAF models represented both the perceived and actual state of operations. Comparison of the DAF models correlated with the SSM derived rich pictures and issues log were used to develop an understanding of the organisational behaviour as well as produce an updated operational architecture. Recommendations for change were made to senior management. We finish the paper with a 12-point lessons learnt discussion of our experiences in doing this study. We conclude that the use of a pluralist systems engineering approach as a method of enquiry into sociotechnical organisational behaviour can provide a richer understanding of operational behaviour as it complements the human activity systems view with the operational architecture views. The pluralist approach is methodologically sound and Jackson's modified TSI provides an evaluation checklist.

The National Security and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division (NSID) of the Defence Science and Technology Group (DST Group) is involved in the research, development and fielding of program strategies to grow complex capabilities in support of Integrated ISR. More recently, NSID has developed a framework of ideas, stratagems and methodologies aimed at composing complex capability. This framework, termed the Stakeholder Driven Development Framework (SDDF), allows incremental growth of complex capabilities in a measured and balanced manner; “measured” in terms of having a regard for progressive and stable growth of realisable aspects of the complex capability and “balanced” to reflect the risk based facilitation processes between stakeholder priorities and program complexities. It is based on a set of foundational principles that provide the rules of practice for complex capability development. The SDDF utilises systems thinking, is tightly coupled with stakeholder interaction and comprises progressive cycles of analysis, synthesis and assessment. It analyses the problem space from different worldviews, thereby providing a more comprehensive understanding from which to select a mix of methodologies to synthesise solution options. The aim is to deliver stakeholder mediated and facilitated candidate solutions.