Tailoring the System Life Cycle

Abstract

Every system is unique and requires a tailored life cycle to ensure that its development can be managed efficiently. The process of tailoring the system life cycle is generally not well understood and is often poorly executed, which can result in inefficiencies and elevated risks for the project. This chapter defines a tailoring methodology that can assist Systems Engineers and Project Managers to better understand and apply the tailoring process. The tailoring methodology first considers the customization of a life cycle for individual subsystems, followed by a harmonization through the system life cycle. The technological and organizational factors that impact on the customization are identified and their impact on the life cycle is described. The chapter also defines how the life cycle can be optimized. Throughout the chapter, examples are given to illustrate how the methodology can be applied to complex and multi-disciplinary systems.