Activity 2.4

In this situation as the systems engineer I would go to both teams and talk to them about their limitations and if necessary how they could reduce weight without reducing performance.  I would speak to each team about their decision making and make it clear to them that meeting customer demands and the performance that has already been promised is the number one goal. I would also state that cutting the safety margin is not an option. Using UAS for commercial purposes is an emerging field and one of the main concerns is UAS safety. If safety margins are cut to save a little time or money now and an accident occurs that causes property damage or injury or death to a person then the whole program will be shut down. Worse, UAS development and regulatory resolutions will most likely be put on a lengthy hold.

With these considerations in mind I would make it clear that reducing performance as previously promised is not an option. In this case I would focus on customizing the Guidance, Navigation, and Control systems to reduce weight. I would also pursue any possibility in modifying the payload system to reduce weight as long as it did not affect performance. I would tell both teams that reducing fuel load and therefore safety margin is not an option. I would then work with both teams to help solve their issues.

A major learning point from this would be finding a better way to make a new improved version of the system. This will allow us to know through experience what can be used from “off the shelf” components and what needs to be custom made for the system. Since this is an emerging field customer satisfaction and customer loyalty will be of paramount importance. As the old saying goes, you only get one first impression. If performance promises are not met or safety is compromised customers will not return for future products. Hopefully by using these lessons learned the newer model will be able to not only meet requirements but significantly exceed them. (Terwilliger, Burgess, & Hernandez, 2013)

 

References

Terwilliger, B., Burgess, S., & Hernandez, D. (2013). Module 2: Global System Design Concepts, Requirements, and Specifications Overview [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Blackboard website: https://erau.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-14470950-dt-content-rid-80602580_4/institution/Worldwide_Online/ASCI_GR_Courses/ASCI_530/Module_Lectures/ASCI_530_Module_2_Lecture.pdf