| How should the development of a complex product system be planned and controlled in a manner that is focused on process milestones, responsive to changes in technology and requirements, based on maturity measures and applied in an interactive manner which facilitates timely feedback? This is considered to be one of the important questions in program management, especially its system engineering component, but it has not been adequately addressed in the literature. Project management tools are often employed to manage the development of systems but they have been inadequate for managing the readiness of new technologies, let alone a complex product system where the concern is whether or not the technologies are maturing as required during the development lifecycle. To address this issue, this research explored current practices by reviewing the literature and conducting research focus workshops. Based on initial findings from these, a methodology called System Earned Readiness Management (SERM) was developed for system planning, scheduling, monitoring and evaluation. It was validated using a space system undergoing development. SERM was developed such that it is responsive to changes in technology and requirements, focused on process milestones and applied in an interactive manner which facilitates timely communication. It is a system wide approach which looks familiar to practitioners. The use of SERM would contribute to the success of system development. |
