Browsing by Author "Eftekhari Shahroudi, Kamran, advisor"

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Open Access
Integrating MBSAP with continuous improvement for developing resilient healthcare systems
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Speece, Jill E., author; Eftekhari Shahroudi, Kamran, advisor; Herber, Dan, committee member; Borky, Mike, committee member; Vijayasarathy, Leo, committee member
The high cost of healthcare is a well-known topic. Utilizing systems engineering methods to address the problem is less well-known in the healthcare industry. There are many variables that impact the cost of healthcare, and this dissertation proposes a solution for the systemic problem of same day missed appointments. Healthcare systems have had success using Continuous Improvement (CI) tools and methods to change and improve processes, but the use of CI tools alone has not yet produced a sustained solution for same day missed appointments. Robust healthcare systems are driven by the architecture. Through utilization of the Model-Based Systems Architecture Process (MBSAP), an architecture was developed to automate utilization management and ultimately reduce the impact of same day missed appointments. During the needs analysis phase of system development, the history of the problem at an outpatient imaging center was studied and initial experiments for system feasibility were performed. It was found that elements of the architecture are feasible but needed to be more fully developed before implementation. Benchmarking against other service-oriented industries provided additional context for the problem and a set of alternatives for subsystems within the architecture. These two efforts also resulted in the overarching system objective to create a solution that does not rely on changing patient behavior. Since the outpatient imaging center is a sociotechnical system, four social dimensions – the customer dimension, the planning dimension, the operations dimension, and the technical dimension – were defined and analyzed to find the right balance between alternative architectures for the diverse set of stakeholders needs. A subdomain that included the creation of a master dataset, a visual dashboard, and a predictive model was fully developed by integrating CI methodologies with MBSAP. The proposed architecture includes automating the integration of the results of the predictive model with existing systems, but this piece of the architecture is still under development. In manually simulating how the results would change internal workflows to provide proactive targeted interventions, a 17% improvement ($260k) in the annual cost (~$1.5M) of same day missed appointments for the outpatient imaging center was realized. MBSAP has been invaluable in adding systemic and systematic rigor to the complex real-world problem of same day missed appointments in an outpatient imaging center. The resulting systems architecture ensures that the needs of all stakeholders are met while anticipating potential unintended consequences.
Open Access
MBSAP application to UAV-based wildfire detection and communication
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Crawford, Setrige W., author; Eftekhari Shahroudi, Kamran, advisor; Borky, Mike, committee member; Kreidenweis-Dandy, Sonia, committee member; Bradley, Thomas, committee member; Herber, Daniel, committee member
By applying the concepts of the Model Based Systems Architecture Process [90] we were able to link stakeholder needs and operational scenarios (Use Cases) to the preliminary design validation of an autonomous hybrid electric/ gas turbine UAV (H-UAV) intended for wildfire detection and communication. The salient stakeholder requirements were captured, operational scenarios identified, trade study was completed, competing architectures were interlinked to a design exploration (DSE) and preliminary airframe sizing, where a user could probe the bounds of design variables in a probabilistic manner to reveal all necessary sensitives and confirm system behaviors were consistent with stakeholder requirements (spiral verification and validation). This thesis takes the reader through this method and the development of each viewpoint, using Cameo Systems Modeler, starting with the Operational Viewpoint, then refinement to the Logical viewpoint and finally development of the Physical Viewpoint. Emphasized, is the use of a coupled architecture model (digital twin – virtual prototype) to confirm system behaviors against requirements and to graphically display system sensitivities. The deeper details of the DSE method and the trade study were previously published [119]. This paper focuses more on the MBSAP approach, the MBSE artifacts and reflects on the benefits of an interlinked model.[7] The method developed affords the researcher a set of tools to efficiently converge on an affordable system solution which meets stakeholder needs and operational requirements for a locally owned and operated wildfire detection and communication system. Further, the MBSAP method is systems agnostic in that. the approach, yields equally effective results whether applied to more software intensive systems, or more mechanical aerospace system (H-UAV) instantiations.
Open Access
Towards a model-based implementation in technology/platform life-cycle development processes applied to a thrust reverser actuation system (TRAS) concept
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Narsinghani, Jayesh B., author; Eftekhari Shahroudi, Kamran, advisor; Herber, Daniel B., advisor; Windom, Bret, committee member
Modern systems are evolving continuously with rapid technological advancements and refreshments throughout the life cycle. Competitive organizations developing such systems constantly seek to apply holistic techniques for identifying problems that need to be solved and evaluating all possible technological solutions to guide the system development effort. The Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) philosophy and tools are gaining widespread adoption in complex system development and claim several benefits over the traditional document-centric SE approach. This thesis investigates some model-centric implementations in the system development process. An organization's technology/platform development process, referred to as the Product Life Cycle (PLC) process, is analyzed to understand the workflow and expected outcomes necessary to progress in a system development effort. The phase- and gate-based process activities and resulting deliverables in the ideation phase are modeled and analyzed. A data modeling approach is also investigated to integrate the PLC process model with a system model. To develop the system architecture model of a thrust reverser actuation system (TRAS) concept, an MBSE methodology and framework are implemented. The solution boundary for subsystem alternatives is explored, and requirements are analyzed to compare how well the system solution matches the problem. The traditional, text-based requirements are examined to identify deficiencies, and an attribute-based approach is investigated to improve requirements' quality as well as perform requirement development and management activities more interactively and consistently. Overall, the key takeaways of the investigated model- and data-centric approach is summarized, and some insight on the path forward for future implementation is discussed.