EMI: Engineering and management integrator

Abstract

The impact of systems engineering on program cost has been recognized for over a decade. From the very early stages, careful management of the relationships between the product design and the project plan is crucial to the success of any project that aims to deliver a defined product. Failure to closely manage the intricate web of resource constraints emanating from the two domains, the project scope and the product scope may lead to inadequate product performance or overruns in project schedule and budget. Identifying and managing the relationship between these two domains are at the heart of our challenge to combine project management (PM) and systems engineering (SE). We present a new approach, called EMI, which integrates SE and PM methodologies. These include the EMI mathematical foundation, implementation in architectural optimization and project management tools, and a detailed use case for development of the Doors Management System for commercial aircraft.