Expanding the trade space: an analysis of requirements tradeoffs affecting system design - Tutorial

Acquisition Review Quarterly, Wntr, 2002 by Mark W. Brantley, Willie J. McFadden, Mark J. Davis

Although we expect our hardware and software requirements to be relatively the same as those for conducting distributed analyses, this coordination is not without cost. The data and expertise required up front to link these analyses may be substantial, but the benefits may well be worth the investment. The first step required to improve the current trade space analysis method is to develop a methodology that is designed to effectively evaluate the requirements trade space of a system. The methodology must flexible but robust enough to evaluate performance and mission requirements. Through the methodology, system stakeholders will be able to fully realize the requirement trade space interactions and determine the impact of policy decisions on the reliability, maintainability, performance parameters, and life cycle costs of a particular system.

METHODOLOGY

The methodology presented seeks to answer three primary questions:

1. What is in the trade space?

2. How do we characterize (quantify and qualify) the effects of the trade space elements?

3. When and how should we make decisions?

The answers to these questions are gained through the following steps:

* Define the problem, identify stakeholders, and construct the trade space.

* Determine essential trade space interactions.

* Establish consistent decision criteria and metrics for each trade space entity.

* Develop a trade-off methodology, which supports the making of timely trade space decisions.

* Document decisions, the process, and results.

This methodology provides the benefits of maintaining a broad trade space and removing infeasible or less than desirable solutions. It is unencumbered by the current need to immediately develop a course of action pool. But rather it allows for the unfettered analysis of requirements across the system's life cycle functions by developing a solution space via trade space analysis. The program trade space is then used to construct a robust solution set that initially meets mission and performance requirements. This is a detailed continuous analysis that requires collaboration among agencies and stakeholders, integration of M&S tools used in the analysis, and product development. The iterative steps are addressed in detail in the following sections, highlighting the benefits and integrative aspect of this methodology.

THE PROBLEM, STAKEHOLDERS, AND TRADE SPACE

The methodology starts by developing the problem statement, conducting a stakeholder analysis, and identifying the potential trade space. For a new system the problem statement would be derived from a revolutionary new concept or technology, mission needs statement, operational requirements document, and stakeholder issues. This study used the problem statement from the 1988 FMTV Joint Service Operational Requirement (JSOR).

This document states that a mission area analysis identified numerous "deficiencies in strategic and tactical deployability, tactical mobility, ammunition re-supply, general re-supply, medical evacuation, and the ability to support the force" in the current fleet of medium tactical vehicles (Department of the Army, 1988, p. 1). Thus, "a need exists within the U.S. Army (USA), U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), and U.S. Air Force (USAF) for a family of current-technology, medium, tactical, wheeled vehicles in two payload categories, with associated trailers" to meet current and future mission requirements (Department of the Army, 1988, p. 1). The primary purpose of developing the new vehicles was to increase the mission availability of the vehicles while decreasing the platform's life cycle costs. As the FMTV JSOR states,