Case Study: Achieving System Integration through Interoperability in a large System of Systems (SoS)

• Published in: INCOSE International Symposium Vol. 30; no. 1; pp. 799 - 820
• Main Author: Hoehne, Oliver
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.07.2020
• DOI: 10.1002/j.2334-5837.2020.00756.x
• ISSN: 2334-5837

This paper provides a case study on system of systems engineering (SoSE) being performed in a multi‐billion‐dollar program – the California High‐Speed Rail System – viewed from the systems integration perspective. The paper discusses why the subject program of projects (PoP) can be viewed as a system of systems (SoS), identifies the SoSE challenges faced, describes the SoSE activities performed, and summarizes the achieved outcomes and conclusions as of today. Specific SoSE challenges discussed include SoS authority, leadership, architecting, collaboration, integration, and emergence. The paper reviews how decision‐making in independently operated and managed constituent systems (projects) resulted in unanticipated SoS emergent behavior, which is one of the key challenges in the engineering of SoS. The paper further discusses the performed SoSE activities, including an international best practice review, the tailoring of SoSE to the specific SoSE challenges, and provides examples where SoSE principles are being applied to perform successful SoS integration.