Title: Department of Computer Science Seminar
Date: Wednesday, July 12, 2000
Time: 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Venue: Room N101, CSIT Building [108]
Speaker: Mr Shayne Flint (Ph.D student, DCS at ANU)
Description: "Software Intensive Systems and the Enterprise"


                        Abstract


Software Intensive Systems are systems comprising hardware, people, teams,
procedures, and training etc. that rely on large, complex and/or risky
software elements for their operation. The development of such systems is
plagued with problems of cost and schedule overrun, and the delivery of
systems that are ineffective at the enterprise level. Major causes of these
problems include system requirements that are incomplete, inconsistent,
conflicting, misunderstood and volatile.

In order to understand these causes it is important to recognise that
Software Intensive Systems exist to support the operation of one or more
larger enterprises or systems comprising elements such as people, teams,
cultures, the law, procedures, training, hardware, and software. Because
these elements involve people and are continuously changing, requirements
between them interact in dynamically complex and sometimes irrational ways.
It is therefore not surprising that requirements for software intensive
systems are problematic. 

Despite this reality, many system engineering methodologies, industry
standards and researchers advocate the systematic and universal use of
repeatable and measurable processes to manage requirements and system
development. Given the nature of the requirements problem, the applicability
and effectiveness of such process centric approaches should be questioned
and alternative approaches investigated.

This paper will describe research that is exploring a knowledge-centric
approach to system development and operation.  The approach is based on
Dynamic Capability Models [Flint 1999] and a decision support system which
take a requirements/capability view of the enterprise from a combined
"systems thinking", "systems dynamics" and multi-stakeholder perspective.

REFERENCE
Flint, Shayne R. "A model which helps control change in dynamically complex
purposeful systems", Proceedings of the 1999 Systems Engineering Test &
Evaluation Conference, Adelaide South Australia, October 1999



URL: http://cs.anu.edu.au/lib/seminars/seminars00/dept20000712


Biography: 
Shayne Flint is a Senior Professional Officer with the Information
Technology Division of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation
(DSTO). Shayne is also a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computer
Science at the Australian National University and previously worked as an
RAAF engineering officer and in industry. His current research focus is on
the management of system change towards improved satisfaction of evolving
system stakeholder requirements