Write a report that describes both systems using information gathered from your background research and the site visits.
Concept of operations – description of the system
Systems Architecture – create your own numbered system architecture diagram to at least three levels. Include both “hardware” and “software” types of subsystems.
Design processes – two or more critical subsystem design issues and summarize any information you learn about their design processes (design tools? optimization criteria/method? testing? prototyping? engineering specialization…?)
Technical Performance Measures (TPM’s) – three key TPM’s for each system.
Manufacturing processes – two or more key manufacturing processes for specific subsystems or components.
Systems integration – What is “systems integration” in the context of each system? Who, where, when, and how?
Operations – how do the human operators interact with the system? What are some key characteristics of system operation?
Maintenance – What does “scheduled maintenance” mean for this system? How long are downtime periods, and with what frequency? What are some critical “failure modes” for the system?
Project Life Cycle – create a small Gantt chart that shows at least five key tasks in the project’s life cycle. You can either use actual dates or relative time periods. Approximate based on whatever data is available.
Project cost – what are the approximate cost estimates associated with the project, and how do they relate to different phases of the project? If actual costs increased after the early-phase cost estimates, what were some reasons for the increased costs? What are some critical “cost drivers” of the project that required particular attention in the management process?
Additional site visit observations– describe any personal observations you learned about each of the systems during the site visits that you found particularly interesting. Also, briefly compare the two systems and note any differences or similarities that strike you as interesting.
