COTS-Based Systems Engineering Training

COTS-Based Systems Engineering Training

COTS, or commercial-off-the-shelf, is a product that remains “as is.”

This means that the hardware is a standard product that already exists and is available from commercial sources.

When evaluating computers for use in an application, customers often have a choice between commercial (standard) or custom products. Some applications can be served by standard products, whereas others have specific needs that require a custom solution.

COTS products are designed to be easily installed and interoperate with existing system components.

Some of the benefits of using COTS products include:

• Lower costs
• Reduced development time
• Faster insertion of new technology
• Lower lifecycle costs resulting from using readily available and up-to-date products

COTS is also designed to support actionable information for data-driven decision making. Public sector organizations need to quickly make decisions and adapt to changes in funding or program and service needs. If they choose to budget with a legacy system or work-arounds like Excel spreadsheets, they could find themselves struggling to keep up.

A COTS application provides robust reporting capability with standard reports and ad hoc reporting, as well as the ability to assemble actionable data from anywhere in the system using intuitive data queries and shareable dashboards.

Analysts contend that COTS products popularity has generated some modifications around  the traditional  development  processes  in  order to  develop  a  new  development paradigm around COTS items.

Although COTS products can be used out of the box, in practice the COTS product must be configured to achieve the needs of the business and integrated to existing organizational systems.

Extending the functionality of COTS products via custom development is also an option, however, this decision should be carefully considered due to the long-term support and maintenance implications.

COTS-Based Systems Engineering Training by Tonex, Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS)

COTS-Based Systems Engineering Training is a 3-day systems engineering training course focusing on using and considering Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS).

Learn how to  plan, analyze, design, implement, verify, validate, operate, manage and adjust systems engineering projects considering Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) including commercial components, hardware, software and services both for use in the military and commercial projects.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the attendees will be able to

• Discuss systems engineering reference models and architecture
• Discuss key characteristics of COTS components including hardware, software and services
• Discuss the role of Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) in the systems engineering
• Compare and contrast COTS-based systems engineering with traditional systems engineering approaches
• Define and summarize role of COTS Infrastructure in the systems engineering projects
• Identify COTS functions and impact on systems engineering projects
• Describe how to effectively plan, manage and execute COTS-based systems engineering projects
• Describe management and execution of COTS-based systems engineering including impact on SEMP, ConOps, requirements engineering, design, implementation, verification and validation
• Illustrate sample implementations of COTS-based systems engineering

Who Should Attend

• Systems Engineering professionals
• Software and hardware engineers
• Project and program managers considering COTS components in their SEMP
• Vendors of COTS components (hardware, software and services
• Technical team leaders responsible for COTS technologies
• Engineering managers with COTS development ideas
• Government and military professionals using COTS-based systems
• Anyone else involved in engineering, developing, integrating, testing, evaluating, delivering, sustaining, and managing the overall system using COTS

Topics Covered

System Engineering Life Cycle Processes

• Life Cycle Processes
• Overview of the Traditional Life Cycle Model
• Concept Exploration and Benefits Analysis
• Project Planning and Concept of Operations Development
• System Analysis and Definition
• System Development and Implementation
• Verification and Validation
• Operations & Maintenance, Changes & Upgrades
• System Retirement, Replacement or Retrofitting
• Cross-Cutting Activities

Impact of Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) in Systems Engineering

• Definition of Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)
• COTS Key Concepts and Principles
• Use of Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Items
• Non-Developmental Items
• Opportunities for efficiency during system development
• Using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Technology
• Observations on Using COTS Software, Hardware and Services
• Impact of COTS on the Interface Between Systems Engineering and Software Engineering
  Investigation of COTS products
• Benefits of using COTS components in system design
• Development time
• Faster insertion of new technology
• Lower life-cycle costs
• Reliability of up-to-date commercial industrial base

COTS-Based Systems Engineering

• Systems Engineering Environment using COTS
• Systems Engineering Concerns with using COTS Products
• COTS Life Cycle Considerations
• COTS Influences on SDLC
• Organizational Readiness Levels (NASA reference)
• Embedding Proprietary functions into COTS
• Requirements Development with COTS
• Architecture and Design
• System Effectiveness
• Availability and Reliability
• Reliability, Maintainability, Availability (RMA)
• Environment, Safety and Occupational Health (ESOH)
• Supportability and Logistics
• Durability
• V&V
• Integration
• O&M
• Supply chain risk management of COTS
• COTS-based System of Systems Engineering (SoSE)
• The process of planning, analyzing, organizing, and integrating the capabilities of COTS into a system-of-systems capability
• Challenges facing application of COTS-based systems engineering to SoS
• Cyber-Physical Systems and COTS
• COTS Lessons Learned

COTS-based Systems Engineering Deliverable

• Requests for Proposal (RFP)
• Project Plans
• Systems Engineering Management Plans (SEMP)
• Configuration Management Plans
• Technical Planning Documents
• Concepts of Operations (ConOps)
• Requirements Specifications
• Design Specifications
• Integration Plans
• Verification Plans
• Validation Plans
• Deployment Plans
• O&M Plans
• Miscellaneous

Factors That Drive the Systems Engineering Environment using COTS

• Development Models, Strategies, and Systems Engineering Standards
• Relationship to Architecture
• Relationship to Planning and Information Technology
• Relationship to Standards
• Systems Engineering Support Environment
• Systems Engineering Organization
• Procurement Options
• Estimating the Amount of Process Needed
• COTS Acquisition Strategy
• COTS-based Systems Engineering Plan (SEP)
• Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) using COTS
• Systems Engineering Design Considerations
• Alternative Systems Review (ASR)
• Software Development
• Parts Management
• Support Resources
• Product Support
• COTS-based Architecture Considerations
• Supply Chain Quality Management
• Example Projects

Illustrative Example Systems Engineering Projects Considering COTS

• Systems engineering approach with COTS
• Example Projects
• Project Example 1
• Project Example 2
• Project Example 3
• Case Studies
• CASE Studies Key Lessons
• Key Lessons Learned using COTS
• Roles and Responsibilities in Systems Development using COTS
• Roles and Responsibilities in Systems Development with and without COTS
• Systems Engineering Capabilities and Process Improvement using COTS
• Changes in Architecting Principles
• Systems Engineering Architectural Frameworks using COTS