Note: Be sure to review the paper included in the SE Publications section, below, “Collaboration across Linked Disciplines: Skills and Roles for Integrating Systems Engineering and Program Management”.
This month we provide a summary of Chapter 12, The Impact of Effective Integration on Program Performance, in Integrating Program Management and Systems Engineering (IPMSE), a collaboration of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Consortium for Engineering Program Excellence (CEPE) at the Massachusetts (USA) Institute of Technology (MIT). This is our thirteenth article in this series. Our objective in providing this series is to encourage subscribers to leverage the research base of this book that has provided new knowledge and valuable insights that will serve to strengthen performance of complex programs. “The Book” is highly recommended as professional development for all systems engineers and is available to members of INCOSE at a discount.
The five-year research program that was conducted in support of The Book found consistent evidence of the positive impact and contribution of greater integration to program performance. Recall from Chapter 6 that integration is defined as alignment of program management and systems engineering practices, tools, and techniques, experience, and knowledge in a collaborative and systematic approach to increase team effectiveness toward achieving a common goal/objective in complex program development environments.
One of the first steps in managing and improving integration is to define a set of variables and a systematic approach to assimilate them within a program. The following elements are a good starting point:
|
Integration Factors |
Integration Variables |
Key Indicators of Effective Integration |
|
Rapid and effective decision making |
Involvement of all members of the core program team in the decision making process when making decisions |
All core program team members actively participate Program Managers (PMs) take into account technical goals Chief Systems Engineers (CSE) take into account management goals when making decisions |
|
Effective collaborative work |
Team members collaboratively tackle problems and challenges with enthusiasm and commitment Team members have a shared and common vision (set of priorities, benefits, and results of the program) of what shall be created Team members show commitment in executing and achieving overall high program performance, instead of just being focused on their own individual performance and results |
The PM is positively engaged and committed to resolve CSE issues The CSE is positively engaged and committed to resolving PM issues. Team members collaboratively tackle problems and challenges with enthusiasm and commitment Team members have a shared and common vision of what shall be created in the program Team members show commitment in executing and achieving overall high program performance, instead of only focusing on individual goals |
|
Effective information Sharing |
The efficiency of communications between the CSE and the team members The efficiency of communications between the program manager and team members All team members have access to all program-related information that they need to perform their tasks successfully |
Amount of time required of the PM to acquire information to perform his job Amount of time required of the CSE to acquire information to perform his job Communication effectiveness between the PM and the CSE Communication effectiveness between the PM and the team Communication effectiveness between the CSE and the team Communication effectiveness between team members PM has full and easy access to program information CSE has full and easy access to program information All team members have full and easy access to program information |
Contextual variables that are specific to each type of program and industry sector will help to tailor the measurement approach to its specific application. Under a variety of conditions, integration may manifest itself differently. This will shape the specific management practices and techniques to be monitored for integration behaviors. The following points may help organizations to be purposeful in improving integration that leads to better program performance:
- Understand integration. The first step to measuring integration between program management and systems engineering properly is to develop a clear understanding of the meaning of integration as described in Chapter 6, along with the three key elements shown in Figure 12-3 – rapid and effective decision-making; effective collaborative work, and effective information sharing.
- Develop an approach to assess and improve integration. Measuring integration between program management and systems engineering can be a complicated task due to its various elements. Defining formal processes, tools, techniques, and metrics is important if this is to be part of a deliberate change program to improve integration. The integration improvement initiative should be linked with the overall program benefits achievement approach to demonstrate both quantitative and qualitative evidence of the value of greater integration for programs and business results.
- Integration may have different levels of intensity and may impact programs in a wide range of ways. Consider other dimensions and variables as drivers of integration between program management and systems engineering in a particular context, including program type, industry sector, and organizational environment and culture, as part of a tailoring the approach to assessing and improving integration.
- Treat integration as a competence. Integration between program management and systems engineering involves attitudes and skills supported by a carefully designed set of tools, management practices, and organizational factors. This broad perspective should be considered to develop successively higher levels of integration of these two disciplines in programs.
- Integration requires strong leadership from both a management and a technical perspective. Particularly within complex programs, program managers benefit significantly from having some technical background or experience. Chief systems engineers and program managers should recognize and appreciate their respective individual responsibilities and pressures, and consider the implications that their management and technical decisions will have on the overall program objectives and results.
Consideration of the following areas should help you leverage this knowledge on your project and in your organization:
- What steps can you take to improve the awareness of the importance of integration between program management and systems engineering to program performance in your organization?
- How has integration impacted performance in your organization, based on a program on which you have worked in the past? In which specific areas of program performance was it relevant for the PM or the CSE?
- Which of the integration factors presented above were demonstrated in a program on which you worked in the past? Which of these variables had the greatest impact on program performance?
- Considering the integration variables noted above, can you identify additional variables that might be relevant to measure these elements in your organization or program context?
References
Armstrong, James R. “Tracking the Technical Critical Path: Systems Engineering Meets Project Management”. Paper presented at the 2009 INCOSE/APCOSE Conference. Download the paper here.
Conforto, Carlos, Eric Rebentisch, and M Rossi, “Case Study Report: Improving Integration of Program Management and Systems Engineering”. Paper presented at the PMI Global Congress North America, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Conforto, Carlos, Monica Rossi, Eric Rebentisch, Josef Oehman, and Maria Pacenza, “Survey Report: Improving Integration of Program Management and Systems Engineering”. Paper presented at the 23rd INCOSE Annual International Symposium, Philadelphia, PA USA. A downloadable copy is available at https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/79681/Conforto%20et%20al%202013%20-%20PMI%20INCOSE%20MIT%20Survey%20on%20Integration%20of%20Program%20Management%20and%20Systems%20Engineering.pdf?sequence=1
Lucae, Sebastian. Improving the Fuzzy Front-end of Large Engineering Programs – Interviews with Subject Matter Experts and Case Studies on Front-end Practices. Diploma thesis, Nr. 1392. Retrieved from http://cepe.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/SL_Improving-the-fuzzy-front-end-of-engineering-programs_print.pdf on February 7, 2018.
Rebentisch, Eric, Stephen Townsend, and Carlos Conforto, “Collaboration Across Linked Disciplines: Skills and Roles for Integrating Systems Engineering and Program Management”. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington, June 2015. Download a copy at https://peer.asee.org/?q=Eric+Rebentisch.
Reiner, Thomas. Determination of Factors to Measure the Effective Integration between Program Management and Systems Engineering. Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule (RWTH), Aachen, Germany: Master’s Thesis, 2015.
Author
Ralph Rowland Young
