Trade-off Analytics

Preface

Need for More Effective Trade Studies

Today's complex systems are multidisciplinary systems involving challenging missions, advanced technologies, significant uncertainties, and multiple stakeholders with conflicting objectives. Decision-making is central to generating creative alternatives, creating value, managing risks, and meeting affordability goals. Systems engineering trade-offs are needed throughout the system life cycle to inform these system decisions. In the absence of a formal framework, trade-off studies are sometimes performed in an ad hoc manner. Also, some systems engineers may not have an in-depth understanding of trade-off analysis techniques. As a result, some use unsound techniques.

This project began with a need identified by a professional society. The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) (www.incose.org) has nearly 10,000 members and about 95 members of its Corporate Advisory Board. The INCOSE Corporate Advisory Board documented the need for more effective trade studies. They believed there was a lack of best practices information that crossed the life cycle and aligned with ISO standard (ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, 2015), the Systems Engineering Handbook (INCOSE, 2015), and the Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge (SEBok, Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge (SEBoK), 2015).

This textbook presents a Decision Management process based on decision theory and cost analysis best practices and is aligned with ISO/IEC 15288, the Systems Engineering ...