| Why do Systems Engineers need to know about Programmatic Risks? As it turns out, the design and development of a major engineering system is often strongly influenced by politically-driven processes for funding and approval of that project-- processes in Governments, large Organizations (such as Corporations and large non-profit organizations such as INCOSE). Systems Engineers are carefully trained in analytical techniques for dealing with cost, schedule, and performance challenges, but are often woefully unprepared for the role of governmental or organizational politics in their projects! My conjecture: Systems Engineers would benefit from training in not only Cost, Schedule, and Technical Risks, but also training in political risk mitigation tools for Programmatic Risks, using heuristics that aid in understanding the non-technical processes that inevitably affect engineering decisions. This has been demonstrated by instructing about 1,000 Systems Architects and Engineers in a Masters-level class since 1996 at the University of Southern California: “Systems Architecting and the Political Process” (SAE 550). This presentation covers the fundamentals of Programmatic Risk Management, including a brief overview of the heuristics for political risk mitigation and an example of a Case Study regarding Programmatic Risk Management. |
