A pilot for multidisciplinary capstone design incorporating a systems engineering framework

In this paper we discuss a pilot project to develop an approach to multidisciplinary capstone design that incorporates a systems engineering (SE) framework which can be a model for broad implementation. It is a reflection of the growing demand for engineers educated to recognize the overarching significance of systems engineering approaches for the development of large-scale and complex systems, and to have attained some foundational SE competencies before entering the workforce. The specific project was sponsored by the Department of Defense and involved working with various stakeholders, within and associated with the Department of Defense, to address a need for an expeditionary housing system for the military, with a major focus on integrated alternate energy sources and associated micro-grid. This has application to both forward operational units and for disaster relief missions. The SE framework provided a series of lectures/workshops through the course of the capstone project to teach SE concepts in what approximates to a just-in-time mode in an interdisciplinary capstone of significant scope, working with external stakeholders and mentors. Assessment was applied locally at the authors' institution and via an external assessor to other institutions engaged in their own pilot versions of incorporating SE into the capstone. The initial phase of implementation revealed both some immediate benefits of introducing systems engineering into the capstone for a major multi-disciplinary project, but also the challenges. Some of the latter were associated with it being a multi-disciplinary project rather than specifically due to addressing the SE goals. In this regard student focus and assessment had been too discipline-centered in the initial phase and needed transitioning so that the systems project was accepted by all stakeholders as the focus and assessment base while still meeting disciplinary engineering capstone educational outcomes. The timeline to bring the project and students up to speed is longer than for a traditional capstone, including multi-disciplinary ones, as the SE foundation has to be established, first in terms of SE knowledge acquisition, second for socialization to and the buy in needed from the students to work on the project in a meaningful systems engineering mode. In a second phase of the project a new project management model was implemented to provide authentic systems level and functional modes. Some experiences and assessments associated with this pilot project are discussed in the paper.