Connecting MBSE and Project Management

Closing the gap between program management and systems engineering is a key challenge highlighted in The Guide to Lean Enablers for Managing Engineering Programs, May 2012, published by the joint MIT-PMI-INCOSE Community Practice on Lean Program Management. The ability of the Chief System Engineer to work in harmony with the Project Manager is a key indicator of a well-managed and successful acquisition program. However, the system engineer is focused on technical merit and the program manager is focused on budget and schedule. The result is that many times what has been placed in the project plan is disconnected with what the technical team intuitively understands as the schedule for delivery of the system design and product. What is needed is a way for the System Engineer to connect the system design information directly to project schedule and tasks. This presentation explores the development of a schema to traditional MBSE design information to the program management elements from a Work Breakdown Schedule (WBS).