Systems Engineering for the Digital Age

Chapter 33Mission Engineering Competency Framework

Gregg Vesonder and Nicole Hutchison

Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA

Introduction

This chapter discusses mission engineering and what skills are needed to do it well. In order to understand the discipline of mission engineering, it is first necessary to define what a mission is.

DoD Joint Publication 3‐0 (Joint Operations) defines a mission as the “task, together with the purpose, that clearly indicates the action to be taken and the reason thereby.” (2018) In this context, mission definitions are the basis for evaluating solutions and trades – any proposal that does not advance the mission should not be considered. Broadening the context, NASA defines a mission as “a major activity required to accomplish [a NASA] goal or to effectively pursue a scientific, technological, or engineering opportunity directly related to [a NASA] goal. Mission needs are independent of any particular system or technological solution” (2017). In the colloquial sense a mission is a “specific task with which a person or a group is charged” and this can include a definite military, naval, or aerospace task (Miriam Webster Dictionary 2023). Mission engineering is the term commonly used in the US government. In industry, the term business analysis or engineering might be used. In the UK Ministry of Defense (MOD), the term “capability” is used. Regardless of the terminology, the concept is the same: missions are critical, major activities ...