Systems Engineer
Systems Engineer Perspective
Authors lower-level requirements that decompose Product Support parents into precise, technically scoped Ground Systems statements.
- Write requirement text and rationale
- Maintain parent-child traceability
- Resolve ambiguity with SMEs before JAMA entry
Primary responsibilities
- Decompose each Product Support parent into lower-level requirements that add real engineering content beyond restating the parent.
- Ensure every requirement is unambiguous, testable, and bounded to what Ground Systems provides, enables, or supports.
- Capture definitions, assumptions, standards, and interface expectations in rationale.
- Maintain bi-directional traceability to the parent and to downstream allocations.
Day-to-day work activities
- Pull the assigned parent requirement from JAMA; read parent text, rationale, and linked ARB notes.1
- Identify the major nouns (instrumentation, PSE, CJP, FDR, cradle) and confirm definitions with the right SME.2
- Draft single-purpose, testable lower-level requirements stating what Ground Systems provides, enables, or supports.3
- Write rationale covering definitions, applicable standards/AFIs, interfaces, and SME-confirmed assumptions.4
- Run the draft through the pre-submit checklist; log open SME questions in the tracker.5
- Walk the draft through SME review, then Architect allocation review, then Project Engineer readiness gate.6
- Submit to JAMA, link parent and children, and hand ownership to the Requirement Owner.7
Requirements work
| Artifact | Author | Reviewer | System of Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower-level requirement text | Systems Engineer | SME + Architect | JAMA |
| Rationale | Systems Engineer | SME + Reliability (if applicable) | JAMA |
| Parent-child links | Systems Engineer | Configuration Manager | JAMA |
| Open-question log | Systems Engineer | Project Engineer | Decomposition tracker |
Architecture touchpoints
- Use ARB-approved generalized naming for CBM+, Integrity Programs, Data Collection, and Instrumentation.
- Cite the allocated Ground Systems element exactly as defined in the architecture description.
- Reference interface contracts (e.g., CJP interface) in rationale rather than redefining them in the requirement.
- Escalate to the Architect any decomposition that would change an interface, allocation, or element name.
Government approvals and reviews
| Review / Gate | Role | Entry criteria | Exit criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| SME Review | Author | Draft + open questions | SME sign-off captured in rationale |
| ARB | Presenter for naming/behavior impacts | Allocation and naming aligned | ARB minutes referenced |
| JAMA Readiness Gate | Author | Checklist complete, no open SME questions | Project Engineer marks ready |
| Customer / Program Review | Supporting author | JAMA baseline + rationale | Comments dispositioned |
Deliverables
- Draft lower-level requirements ready for SME review.
- Rationale text explaining scope boundaries and SME confirmations.
- List of open SME questions blocking JAMA submission.
- Traceability map from parent to children with allocation noted.
Dependencies
Needs from others
- SME confirmation of intent (Product Support / Reliability).
- Architectural allocation guidance from the Architect.
- Interface definitions from Integration Engineering.
Provides to others
- Clean, testable requirement text for JAMA.
- Rationale that downstream verification can use.
- Issue list for the Project Engineer to track.
Decision rights
- Final wording of the lower-level requirement (after SME and Architect sign-off).
- Whether to split, merge, or defer a decomposition based on clarity and scope.
Checklist before JAMA submission
- Requirement is scoped strictly to Ground Systems responsibility.
- Text avoids implementation detail unless required for verification.
- Rationale references applicable standards, interfaces, and SME confirmations.
- Parent linkage is correct and complete.
- All open SME questions are resolved or explicitly deferred.