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BLOG entries in reverse chronological order, beginning with 7/7/2009

Hello There, Rich: Saw your comment on NW, and checked out your website, so I thought I would write. Interesting stuff you have there with the COSMIC concept! I use a specialized system architecture tool called CORE (by a company called ViTech) which helps us develop operational models, which then drive functional and physical design, and the main purpose of the whole modeling environment is to manage the requirements for Ops, functional design, and physical designs. In fact, I just gave my USAF SPO a complete “non-powerpoint” system model briefing on the classified program I have been working on. Needless to say, they were pleased and saw the benefit of being able to interact directly with a detailed model and “pull a thread” wherever they wanted. I think the model-based systems engineering approach is going to be a fundamental aspect of the DOD acquisition reform that we all know we need so badly! But I am truly intrigued by your use of good ole COTS software tools (Excel, etc.) as the basis for your modeling environment. I am the type of engineer who is sick and tired of managers (and other engineers) who have “new tool fetish” problems. Software development companies are always out there selling their latest tool and making promises that “it is the last tool you will ever have to buy because it does everything you need.” Yeah, right. Even the CORE tool that I use, while I like it, it also has its limitations and cannot do everything. But one thing it can do, and do well, is maintain relationship links to other, more detailed models that augment the larger system architecture model. But I have often thought about building an entire architecture development and modeling system based on the MS suite of tools (Word, Excel, Access, and Visio). The benefit, as you have clearly pointed out on your website, is that the customer already owns the basic tools themselves and (more or less) knows how to use them. What you are selling them is the “glue knowledge” that puts those tools into an engineering system development context. It looks like you have quite a leg-up on developing something pretty valuable. Good luck with your continued efforts! Best Regards, Ray Hudson PS – By the way, if you have not already guessed, I work for Northrop-Grumman Corp in El Segundo, CA. R