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Browsing by Author "Batchelor, Ann, advisor"

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    Avoiding technical bankruptcy in system development: a process to reduce the risk of accumulating technical debt
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Kleinwaks, Howard, author; Bradley, Thomas, advisor; Batchelor, Ann, advisor; Marzolf, Gregory, committee member; Wise, Daniel, committee member; Turner, John F., committee member
    The decisions made early in system development can have profound impacts on later capabilities of the system. In iterative systems development, decisions made in each iteration produce impacts on every future iteration. Decisions that have benefits in the short-term may damage the long-term health of the system. This phenomenon is known as technical debt. If not carefully managed, the buildup of technical debt within a system can lead to technical bankruptcy: the state where the system development can no longer proceed with its lifecycle without first paying back some of the technical debt. Within the schedule constrained development paradigm of iteratively and incrementally developed systems, it is especially important to proactively manage technical debt and to understand the potential long-term implications of decisions made to achieve short-term delivery goals. To enable proactive management of technical debt within systems engineering, it is first necessary to understand the state of the art with respect to the application of technical debt methods and terminology within the field. While the technical debt metaphor is well-known within the software engineering community, it is not as well known within the systems engineering community. Therefore, this research first characterizes the state of technical debt research within systems engineering through a literature review. Next, the prevalence of the technical debt metaphor among practicing systems engineers is established through an empirical survey. Finally, a common ontology for technical debt within systems engineering is proposed to enable clear and concise communication about the common problems faced in different systems engineering development programs. Using the research on technical debt in systems engineering and the ontology, this research develops a proactive approach to managing technical debt in iterative systems development by creating a decision support system called List, Evaluate, Achieve, Procure (LEAP). The LEAP process, when used in conjunction with release planning methods, can identify the potential for technical debt accumulation and eventually technical bankruptcy. The LEAP process is developed in two phases: a qualitative approach to provide initial assessments of the state of the system and a quantitative approach that models the effects of technical debt on system development schedules and the potential for technical bankruptcy based on release planning schedules. Example applications of the LEAP process are provided, consisting of the development of a conceptual problem and real applications of the process at the Space Development Agency. The LEAP process provides a novel and mathematical linkage of the temporal and functional dependencies of system development with the stakeholder needs, enabling proactive assessments of the ability of the system to satisfy those stakeholder needs. These assessments enable early identification of potential technical debt, reducing the risk of negative long-term impacts on the system health.
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    Determining systems engineering value in competitive bids
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Dawson, Sandra Lynn, author; Batchelor, Ann, advisor; Arenson, David, committee member; Adams, James, committee member; Simske, Steve, committee member; Wise, Dan, committee member
    Corporations need a methodology to determine existing and new Systems Engineering (SE) effort costs in a more relevant context through deepening its connection within the competitive bidding process. The impact of Digital Engineering (DE) on SE within competitive bids is evolving as the industry is maturing its DE transition and implementation. The state of the field does not consider the impact of the current transition from traditional document-based SE (TDSE) to digital engineering (DE) and the impact on SE value. This paper examines the effectiveness of the SE costing models that are available in the literature by introducing a process to compare completed projects using metrics of actual SE hours expended and project performance against recommended SE effort and project results. Analysis of this comparison provides justification for SE effort bid ranges and associated project results. This research endeavors to enable a more holistic and SE-centric view of SE costing with considerations of project characteristics and the ongoing DE transition. Finally, this research provides a new framework for the analysis results and references useful in the bidding of SE projects where SE bid options can be associated with project performance, DE transition progress, and references relevant to the competitive bid approach. By applying systems thinking, using feedback loops and data from multiple organizations, understanding SE-DE impact, and empowering engineers in the DE transition, these research results enable data-driven decisions to determine SE value in competitive bids and to optimize SE using risk management. Following this process and using an organization's data (for competitive bids and projects) will yield results specific to competitive bids, bid technical approach, and DE transition progress. These results are communicated to the competitive bids teams using a SE focused framework.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Identification and ranking of critical success practices for projects and products
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Ketkale, Harshwardhan, author; Batchelor, Ann, advisor; Adams, James, committee member; Albert, Lumina, committee member
    Project results continue to fail despite the large number of efforts invested by researchers towards project success (Terry Cooke Davies, 2002). Identification of Critical Success Factors for a product/project has been a challenge (Uluocak, 2013). Thus, it is essential to conduct study in determining these primary factors contributing towards product/project success. Although several studies have been conducted in identifying the success factors for product/project in diverse range of areas but none have explored actual industrial scenarios from a wide range of fields to derive the critical success practices followed by validation through working professionals. Thus, this study aimed at identifying the critical success practices for projects/products. The research design constituted of in-depth case studies allowing an outlook into actual industrial scenarios providing a list of critical practices contributing towards success as well as failure of a product/project in various fields as the first part. Second part of the research involved validation of the determined critical practices through focus-group survey with working professionals and graduate students. This study data exhibited variation in the views of survey subjects towards the critical success practices based on their work experience, possession of INCOSE/PMI certification and in terms of their roles in the firm such as Managers, Engineers, Marketing/Sales, and Engineering managers. RII tool and Henry Garrett Ranking Method were used to analyze data from Likert-scale based and ranking questions respectively/ In conclusion, this study was also able to identify, evaluate and rank the critical success practices for a wide range of projects/products providing a foundation for execution of successful projects in future.