System Concept Definition
Lead Author: Tami Katz Contributing Author: Lou Wheatcraft
New Title: Concept Definition
Concept Definition is the set of systems engineering (SE) activities in which the problem space and the needs and requirements of the business or enterprise and stakeholders are closely examined. Concept Definition begins before any formal definition of the system-of-interest (SoI) is developed.
The Concept Definition activities include Business or Mission Analysis and Stakeholder Needs and Requirements.
- The Business or Mission Analysis process focuses on defining the problem or opportunity that exists, as well as understanding the life cycle concepts, constraints on and boundaries of the SoI.
- The Stakeholder Needs and Requirements process explores and defines the operational aspects of a potential solution for the stakeholders from their point of view, independent of any specific solution.
With these two Concept Definition activities, business or enterprise decision makers and other stakeholders describe what a solution should accomplish and why it is needed. Both why and what need to be answered before consideration is given to how the problem will be addressed (i.e., what type of solution will be implemented) and how the solution will be defined and developed.
The specific activities and sequence of Concept Definition activities and their involvement with the life cycle activities of any system, and in particular the close integration with System Definition activities, will be dependent upon the type of life cycle model being utilized. See Applying Life Cycle Processes for further discussion of the concurrent, iterative and recursive nature of these relationships.
The Concept Definition provides input into the System Definition activities (System Requirements Definition, System Architecture Definition, and Design Definition) to generate the SoI design.
Topics
Each part of the SEBoK is divided into knowledge areas (KAs), which are groupings of information with a related theme. The KAs in turn are divided into topics. This KA contains the following topics:
See the article Matrix of Implementation Examples for a mapping of case studies and vignettes included in Part 7 as well as topics covered in Part 3.
Concept Definition Activities
There are two primary activities discussed under concept definition: Business or Mission Analysis and the definition of Stakeholder Needs and Requirements:
- Mission Analysis begins
an iteration of the life cycle of a potential SoI that could solve a problem or realize an opportunity for developing a new product, service, or enterprise. These activities assist business or enterprise decision makers to define the problem space, identify the stakeholders, develop preliminary operational concepts, and distinguish environmental conditions and constraints that bound the solution space. In other words, mission analysis takes the enterprise capability gap or opportunity and defines the problem/opportunity in a manner that provides a common understanding encapsulated in what are referred to as “business or mission needs.” Business or mission needs are then used to produce a clear, concise, and verifiable set of business requirements.
- The Stakeholder Needs and Requirements activity works with stakeholders across the life cycle to elicit and capture a set of needs, expectations, goals, or objectives for a desired solution to the problem or opportunity, referred to as "stakeholder needs". The stakeholder needs are used to produce a clear, concise, and verifiable set of stakeholder requirements. Stakeholder needs and requirements identify and define the needs and requirements of the stakeholders in a manner that enables the characterization of the solution alternatives.
Mission Analysis takes the business and stakeholders' needs and requirements and carries the analysis down from problem space to solution space, including concept, mission, and boundary or context so that a solution concept (at the black-box level) can be selected from the alternatives. Figure 1 in the Mission Analysis topic depicts this interaction. The products and artifacts produced during Concept Definition are then used in System Definition.
The different aspects of how systems thinking is applicable to concept definition are discussed in SEBoK Part 2. In particular, the use of a combination of hard system and soft system approaches depending on the type of problem or class of solution is discussed in Identifying and Understanding Problems and Opportunities and the contrast between top-down and bottom-up approaches in Synthesizing Possible Solutions.
References
Works Cited
None.
Primary References
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INCOSE. 2023. 'Systems Engineering Handbook: A Guide for System Life Cycle Processes and Activities', version 5.0. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc, ISBN: 978-1-118-99940-0.
INCOSE. 2022. INOSE Needs and Requirements Manual, version 1.1. INCOSE-TP-2021-002-01.
ISO/IEC/IEEE. 2023. Systems and Software Engineering - System Life Cycle Processes. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023. [to do - ensure link is updated to 2023 writeup]
Additional References
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Hitchins, D. 2007. Systems Engineering: A 21st Century Systems Methodology. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons.
ISO/IEC. 2003. Systems Engineering – A Guide for The Application of ISO/IEC 15288 System Life Cycle Processes. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ISO/IEC 19760:2003 (E). http://www.hitchins.net/EmergenceEtc.pdf.
ISO/IEC. 2007. Systems Engineering – Application and Management of The Systems Engineering Process. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standards (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ISO/IEC 26702:2007.
Jackson, S., D. Hitchins, and H. Eisner. 2010. "What is the Systems Approach?" INCOSE Insight. (April 2010): 41-43.
NASA. 2007. Systems Engineering Handbook. Washington, D.C., USA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA/SP-2007-6105.