Wasson's Principles Flashcards
SE Alpha-Omaga Principle
SE begins and ends with the Users of a system, product, or service
Content-Grammar Principle
Substantive content must always precede grammar to achieve successful results. Avoid negotiating content for the sake of achieving grammatical elegance and eloquence unless it precluded misinterpretation
Intellectual Control Principle
One of the key roles of an SE is to maintain “intellectual control of the problem solution”
User’s Problem Space Principle
Thoroughly understand the problem or issue the User needs to solve, not just the underlying root cause and its contribution
Decision Artifacts Principle
If a key decision or event and its contributory inputs, constraints, and their sources are not documented, the decision or event never occurred
System Interactions Principle
Systems, products, and services must be capable of encountering, engaging, and responding to external systems and dynamic conditions in the operating environment
Types of Interaction Principle
External system encounters and interactions are characterized as cooperative, supportive, and defensive, or combinations of these
System Reactive and Adaptive Behavior Principle
Systems/products/services must be capable of responding with reactive and adaptive behavior (non-responses, aggressive actions, protection mechanisms, or defensive countermeasures) to stimuli or cues originating from external systems in their operating environment
System Responses Principle
Systems produce products, by-products, services, behaviors, or combinations of these to accomplish mission outcome-based performance objectives and survive in their operating environment
Law of Unintended Consequences
Systems, products, by-products, or services responses may result in self-inflicted adverse or catastrophic conditions or effect with negative consequences that impact its performance, mission or survival
Higher Order Systems Principle
Every system serves as the pleasure of or is subject to higher order human systems and natural environment systems that exercise authoritative control over the system, its operation, and the conduct of its missions
System Existence Principle
Every System exists for its stakeholders based on their perceived operational needs
System Equilibrium Principle
Every system, depending on its condition exists in a state of equilibrium with its operating environment to ensure survival
System Stabilization Principle
Every System exhibits a level of stability that requires the user and system to monitor, command & control, its performance, to successfully accomplish mission objectives
System Life Cycle Principle
Every natural and human system exhibits a system life cycle that characterizes its stage evolution from conception to disposal
User Benefits Principle
Every system, product, or service must provide six benefits to stakeholders to be considered worth of their consideration for missions:
1. Operation Utility
2. Operational Suitability
3. Operational Availability
4. Operational Usability
5. Operational Effectiveness
6. Operational Efficiency
Operational Utility Principle
Every system/product/service must be operationally useful to enable its User to C2 the system and perform situational assessments with the least number of human errors
Operational Suitability Principle
Every system/product/service must be operationally suitable for the user’s mission application (the right tool for the right job)
Operational Usability Principle
Every system/product/service must be operationally usable (easy to understand and operate) according to the user’s mental models, knowledge and skill levels with inducing human errors that affect mission or system performance
Operational Availability Principle
Every system/product/service must be operationally available on demand to perform missions when required by its user.
Operational Effectiveness Principle
Every system/product/service must be operationally effective in producing the required mission outcomes
Operationally Efficient Prionciple
Every system/product/service must be operationally efficient for the user’s mission application
Customer Needs Principle
Success in providing systems, products, r services solutions to a highly competitive global marketplace requires two levels of knowledge:
1. Understanding the operational needs of your users/customers
2. Understanding what the User’s customer expects of them
System Existence Principle
Every system/product/service has a purpose and exists for the benefit of performing missons for its users and end users.
Failure of either or both represents system obsolescence leading to system retirement and disposable.
The customer and “customer’s customer” principle
To fully understant and support your customer as a system user, you must understand what their customers (the system’s end users) expect form them and the enabling role your system/product/service contributed to the accomplishment of those results
Dual Producter-Supplier Role Principle
Every system product or service preforms two contextual roles:
1. A mission system (producer) role
2. An enabling system (supplier) role
System I/O Fitness-for-use principle
Every system input/output must comply with pre-defined fitness-for-use performance standards and acceptance criteria established by its stakeholders (users and end users)
Enabling System (supplier role) principle
As an enabling system (supplier role), every system delivers products, by-rpoducts, or services to meet the needs and fitness for use standards of its stakeholders (users and end users) performing their mission system roles
Mission system (producer role) principle
In performing its mission system (producer role), every system performs missions or tasks to produce performance-based outcomes to benefit its users and end users
Enabling system (supplier role principle)
As an enabling system (supplier role), every system delivers products, by-products, or services to meet that needs and fitness for use standards of its stakeholders (users and end users) performing their mission system roles
Mission Outcomes Principle
Mission outcomes identify what has to be accomplished to eliminate, minimize, or control an emerging problem space or exploit an opportunity space.
Stakeholder moments of truth principle
Every time a system stakeholder (user and end user) encounters and interacts with your organization and its systems/products/services is a “moment of truth” that result in positive or negative experiences, outcomes, and consequences that impact business with you in the future.
Problem, Opportunity, and Solution Spaces Principle
Understand the user’s problem/opportunity and solution spaces. A worst-case scenario is writing perfectly stated specification requirements for the wrong problem
Problem/Opportunity Space Principle
One enterprise’s or system’s problem space is an opportunity space for a competitor or adversarial system.
Operational Needs Principle
System analysis requires recognition and validation of three types of stakeholder (user and end user) operational needs:
1. Real
2. Perceived
3. Projected
Problem-Symptom Solving Principle
There are two types of solution development activities: problem-solving and symptom solving. Recognize the difference.
Eliminate or Control the Problem Space Principle
If you cannot eliminate the problem space, try to control it until you can resolve or eliminate it.
Problem Statement Principle
Every problem or opportunity space should be clearly and concisely bounded by a well- articulated problem statement the does not identify causes, assign blame, or propose solutions
Contributory Cause Determination Principle
Investigative teams determine probable causes and recommend solution based on analysis of the problem statement.
Problme Complexity Reduction Principle
Partition-decompose Problem or issue spaces into one or more manageable solution spaces as a means of reducing complexity and managing risk
Problem space decomposition principle
Partitiion or decompose each problem space into one or more solution spaces
On-site visits principle
Always send a qualifie SE to accompany business development personnel during on-site visits to understand analyze, and document the opportunity/problem and solution spaces.
Counter Reactions Principle
When bounding a solution space, anticipate short-term and long-term competitor or adversarial reactionary responses and countermeasures to the solution space
Mission Success Principle
Mission success requires five key elements:
1. A Purpose
2. Timely, sustainable resources
3. A reasonably achievable outcome-based performance objectives
4. A MET
5. A willingness to perform
Mission Statement Principle
A Mission statement should specify one and only one outcome to be achieved and supported by one or more performance based objectives.
Mission Objectives Principle
Each mission should be bounded and specified by one or more performance-based objectives
Mission Operating Constraints Principle
Each mission should be bounded by operating constraints that limit its acceptable usage: safety, operating range, affordability, and environmental conditions.
Mission Reliability Principle
Each mission should be bounded in terms of the mission reliability to be achieved.
User mission profile principle
Every system/product/service should include a characterization of its user mission profiles
Mission phases of operation principle
Human systems (enterprise and engineered) have at least three primary phases of operation:
1. Pre-phase
2. Mission
3. Post-Mission
*An interim phase, such as Storage may be required for some systems between missions
Mission Efficiency and Effectiveness Principle
Every system/product/service mission should be defined in terms of its efficiency and effectiveness.
Mission event timeline (MET) Principle
Every system/product/service should include an MET that identifies time-dependent events that represent the start and completion of mission operations and interim waypoints required to be accomplished to achieve mission success
Measures of Effectiveness Principle
Mission and system success requires establishment of one or more MOEs that quantify mission objectives in terms of performance-based outcomes
Measures of Success Principle
Mission and system success require establishment of one or more MOSs that quantify how well a system is required to perform its mission
USe Case Title Principle
Every Used case consists of a title that expresses an outcome to be accomplished from the perspective of the User (Actor)