Decision Making in Systems Engineering and Management, 3rd Edition

Chapter 5Problem Definition

The last 10 percent of performance generates one‐third of the cost and two‐thirds of the problems.

—Norman R. Augustine, former President, CEO Lockheed‐Martin Corp.

5.1 PURPOSE OF THE PROBLEM DEFINITION PHASE

The Problem Definition phase can and should be used to support systems decision making at any stage of the system life cycle. Properly executed, the investigation and problem structuring activities that the phase advocates result in a better understanding of the systemic and symptomatic conditions motivating the existing situation. With this in‐hand, a problem restatement is possible that more keenly guides activities in the subsequent phases.

It is well‐known in decision support that an initial problem as described by stakeholders is rarely the exact issue needing to be addressed by a system solution. This is because symptoms are easy to recognize and identify, especially those that are being actively experienced by stakeholders. Systemic causes, which are ones that system solutions are used to alleviate, require careful investigation along with expansive and contractive thinking in cycles to produce data that informs efficient and effective alternatives. These types of problems are subset combinations of evident symptoms combined with underlying issues affecting system performance that are hidden from direct observation, such as mismatches between designed functional behavior and changes that have occurred in environmental elements that ...