| The discipline of Systems Engineering (SE) provides us with necessary engineering and management guidance to successfully design and develop a complex system rather than focus on its separate individual components. However, due to the rapidly increasing complexity of today's dynamic environment, we are faced with the need to engineer multiple integrated complex systems. In response to this emerging paradigm shift, a new discipline of System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) has evolved. Although significant progress has been made in advancing this field, we are still in the process of understanding and forming clear principles and practices. Specifically, there is a gap in the existing literature in regards to a SoSE management framework. The purpose of this research is to establish some foundation principles in the development of such a framework. The proposed theoretical framework is built upon the already recognized characterization approach to describing SoS, and three new main contributions to the SoSE body of knowledge: (1) Flexibility of SoS; (2) SoSE network management conceptual areas (i.e., modified fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security (FCAPS) network principles); and (3) "Satisficing" approach to SoSE management. This study has been conducted using five SoSE case studies and validated by industry-specific subject matter experts. The cases include: The New York City Yellow Cab System of Systems, The Integrated Deepwater System (IDS), The Auto Battle Management Aids (ABMA), The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), and The Maritime Transportation System of Systems (MTSoS). |
