Systems Practice in Engineering (SPiE): A Developing Research Agenda Dr Mike Yearworth Reader in Systems, Faculty of Engineering 1st March 2011

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!  Overview •  What is Systems Thinking? •  Systems Centre, IDC in Systems and EngD in Systems programme

•  Framing devices to explore systems complexity and research directions

•  The context for Systems Engineering research and challenges •  The Systems Research Programme ①  Explore issues arising from needs-driven research ②  Demonstrate an intellectually rigorous basis for research exists ③  Describe the existing research programme and activities ④  Present a set of “Burning Issues” a developing research agenda ⑤  Indicative successes

•  Conclusions 2

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!  Definitions

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!  Definitions

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!  Definitions

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SOCIAL SYSTEMS

SOCIO- TECHNICAL SYSTEMS

TECHNICAL SYSTEMS

SOFT

HARD

PEOPLE

THINGS

Systems Research

Focus

Mec

h

E/E

Aer

o

Civ

il

CS

/IT

Phil. Soc. Edu. Mgmt.

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!  Definitions

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Design

Analysis Intervention Integration

SOCIO- TECHNICAL SYSTEMS

Systems Thinking

1.  Research Methods 2.  Modelling/Simulation 3.  Systems Engineering 4.  Problem Structuring Methods (PSMs) 5.  Leading/Managing Change

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!  Definitions 1.  “Viewing situations holistically, as opposed to

reductionistically (sic), as a set of diverse interacting elements within an environment.

2.  Recognising that the relationships or interactions between elements are more important than the elements themselves in determining the behaviour of the system.

3.  Recognising a hierarchy of levels of systems and the consequent ideas of properties emerging at different levels, and mutual causality both within and between levels.

4.  Accepting, especially in social systems, that people will act in accordance with differing purposes or rationalities.”

(Mingers and White, 2010) 7

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!  INCOSE SEASON Report 2009 •  What is Systems Thinking…?

•  …a way of tackling complex problems. It complements scientific thinking by addressing holism, emergence and intentionality (Stakeholders and the “Human in the System”)

•  Executive Summary (extract) •  There is a need to improve the standing, recognition and

reputation of Systems Engineering in academia •  Key Axes of Development (extract)

•  Improve the Academic profile of Systems Engineering and Systems Thinking by setting out an agreed, intellectually rigorous foundation for the discipline

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!  The Needs and Challenges for Systems Thinking

•  Brian Collins (EPSRC Systems Workshop 15th February 2011)

•  Provocations:- •  New ways of thinking, deciding and gathering

evidence •  Education in decision making and problem solving •  Understanding emergence •  Understanding complexity of decisions and time taken •  Value of modelling and synthetic environments

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Focus •  Leading in the application of systems thinking to create value within socio-technical complexity

Scope •  Faculties of Engineering AND Social Sciences and Law

Industry Benefits •  High impact research developing solutions for complex problems •  Competitive advantage •  Motivate and develop future leaders of industry

!  Systems Research at Bristol¶

10 ¶ http://www.bristol.ac.uk/eng-systems-centre/index.html

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!  IDC in Systems

•  One of 19 Industrial Doctorate Centres in the UK, funded by EPSRC

•  Collaboration with the University of Bath •  Part of the Systems Centre at the

University of Bristol •  Founder member of the Association of

Engineering Doctorates (AEngD)

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Number  of  Company  Sponsors   37  Companies  with  >1  RE   11  Total  Research  Engineers   62  Employed  REs   17%  

41%

21%

13%

25%

Product/technology development

Sustainability

Decision support

Process development/organisational change

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① Context for SE research

•  Systems Engineering requirements¶

•  Focussed on real engineering problems impact •  Findings exploited through skills development, new

processes, templates, enhancements of the SE ‘toolkit’ •  Express the problem such that outputs have generic

applicability in SE •  Academic ‘system’ requirements

•  Alignment within the major processes that operate in academia Peer Review: grant applications, publication, research excellence (REF), success within university structures

¶ HENSHAW, M. J., GUNTON, D.J., URWIN, E.N. (2009) Collaborative, academic-industry research approach for advancing Systems Engineering. 7th Annual Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER 2009). Loughborough, UK. 14

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① Potential conflict? •  Systems modelling of the systems research

process developed and reviewed •  Research workshop with REs in the Systems Centre •  Systems Centre SAB •  Systems Research Group at Bristol •  TTCP workshop •  Pro VC Research •  EngD Centre Directors Advocates •  EPSRC Team forming the Systems Forum •  INCOSE •  CSER 15

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① Kuhn vs. Popper – 31st July 1965 “…As science has acquired more secular power, it has

tended towards the self-perpetuation of existing regimes, as dominant research programmes are pursued by default, a situation that the sociologist Robert Merton has dignified as the ‘principle of cumulative advantage’… all scientists working in the same paradigm are equal, but some are more equal than others. These are the ‘peers’ whose opinion always seems to matter in the ‘peer review process’ used to fund and evaluate scientific research…the acculturation of novices into a scientific paradigm, since thereafter the novice’s mind is set to plough the deep but narrow furrow laid down by her senior colleagues as normal science”

17 ¶ FULLER, S. (2006) Kuhn vs Popper : the struggle for the soul of science, Thriplow, Icon.

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① Observations •  High impact, industry needs-driven research in

systems is in competition for resources and attention with ‘traditional’ academic research

•  Systems research requires practical application and pedagogical development to take place simultaneously

•  Systems research in engineering lacks coherency and is widely diffuse

•  Systems theory and systems practice continuously create each other§

18 § Checkland, P. (1999) Soft Systems Methodology: a 30-year retrospective. Summary notes of plenary address to 1999 system dynamics conference.

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②  “Agreed, intellectually rigorous foundation…”

•  Brown¶ draws a related causal model addressing academic reputation of SE research

•  Methodology as a “process”, not contributing to methodological literature i.e. lacks a critical stance

•  Lack of intellectual rigour undermines SE research as a credible academic discipline

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¶ BROWN, S. F. (2009) Naivety in Systems Engineering Research: are we putting the methodological cart before the philosophical horse? 7th Annual Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER 2009). Loughborough, UK.

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② Rigour addressed •  Within the EngD Projects

•  Research Methods an essential component of the EngD programme

•  Increased emphasis on publication, quality of publication and target conferences/journals

•  Across the EngD Programme •  Contribution to methodology development within SE

research •  Access to a large data set! •  Broad scope of research questions •  Definition of a new and developing research agenda

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② Researching the programme

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③ Existing research agenda

•  Systems Practice in Engineering (SPiE) •  Safety Critical Systems and Risk •  Theory of Socio-Technical Interactions •  Performance of Complex Socio-Technical

Systems – Process Improvement and Decision Support

•  Sustainable Systems 22

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③ Progress with EPSRC •  EPSRC Systems Engineering Research Group

•  Systems science through to engineering workshop – 15 February 2011

•  Showcasing EPSRC’s portfolio in systems research •  Bringing together researchers and users from

different areas of systems to promote knowledge transfer and to identify any generic systems research needs and opportunities

•  Exploring where the UK is well positioned to lead and benefit from systems research in an international context

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③ EPSRC systems portfolio descriptors

•  Systems of systems •  Systems design •  Coordination of systems •  Interacting systems •  Whole systems approach •  Embedded systems •  Systems thinking •  Systems Engineering •  Systems Integration

•  Systems science •  Holistic systems •  Human Integration •  Systems operation •  Dynamic systems •  Technical systems •  Emergent properties •  Emergent Behaviour   285 Grants/£220M   large grant portfolio 3@UoB 24

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④  “Burning Issues” – A Developing Research Agenda

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1. Systems Architecting 2. Interdisciplinary and Knowledge Value Chain Issues

1.  A Systems Approach to Engineering Design

2.  Designing for Appropriate Functionality and to Deliver Value

3.  Using Complexity Science to Inform Engineering

4.  How to Enable Effective Concurrency

1.  Understanding Organisational Structures and Identifying Key Expertise

2.  Coping with Change, Interoperability and Through-life Issues

3.  Systems Approaches for the Effective Management of Data

4.  Development of Model-based Systems Engineering Approaches for Management of Knowledge

5.  Dealing With Lack of Hard Knowledge 6.  Integrating Engineering Perspectives:

The “-ilities”

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④  “Burning Issues” – A Developing Research Agenda

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3. Organisational Issues 4. Issues of Methodology, Ethics and Pedagogy

1.  Systems Failures Resulting from Cultural and Socio-Technical Failures

2.  Stretched Goals, Budgets, Schedules and Resources

3.  Systems Engineering and Organisations

4.  Re-engineering Organisational Approaches to Enhance Collaboration

1.  Application of Knowledge to Tailor Generic Systems Approach

2.  Systems Engineering Methodology and Tools

3.  Development of Interdisciplinarity and Soft Systems Approaches

4.  Systems Pedagogy – From Primary to Tertiary Education

5.  Recognition of Systems Engineering as a Serious Discipline in Academia

6.  Behavioural and Psychological Barriers to the Use of Systems Thinking

7.  Interdisciplinarity and Ethics 8.  The Value of Systems Engineering and

Benchmarks for Excellence

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⑤  Indicative REF Successes •  ~£646K Research Income from Industry through the EngD in

Systems Programme •  DAVIS, J., MACDONALD, A. & WHITE, L. (2010) Problem-

structuring methods and project management: an example of stakeholder involvement using Hierarchical Process Modelling methodology. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 61(6), pp. 893-904. [4*]

•  PREIST, C. & YEARWORTH, M. - SYMPACT: Tools for assessing the systemic impact of technology deployments on energy use and climate emissions (EP/EP/I000151/1) (TEDDI call Part 1) [£332K / 2 years]

•  TRYFONAS, T – Forensics Tools Against Illegal Use of the Internet (ForToo) (ISEC 2010 action grants) [€256K / 3 years]

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⑤  Indicative REF Successes

•  Let’s not forget Impact…

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!  Observations… 1.  Systems theory and systems practice continuously

create each other crucial point! 2.  Pedagogy and systems research must develop

simultaneously very short time constant 3.  Conflicts exist between the “university system” and the

best way to develop systems research in engineering cf management schools

4.  Developing intellectual rigour in methodology, a new focus on quality of published output, and researching our own programme offer a pragmatic way forward hence SPiE

5.  Defined research agenda huge space, needs funding, we need to take a significant share! 29