SysML modeling of off‐the‐shelf‐option acquisition for risk mitigation in military programs

Off‐the‐Shelf software, hardware, and subsystem assemblies have been accepted by system engineers, project managers, designers, and, most importantly, the customer as an essential ingredient to the successful and rapid deployment of deliverable military systems. The Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition community almost always expects the prime contractor to incorporate the Off‐The‐Shelf‐Option (OTSO) within their system design, whether it is a military tank, software defined radio, or advance tactical fighter aircraft. Clearly, system engineers and program managers have an obligation to mitigate risks when using the OTSO in DoD programs. Part of risk mitigation means having in place predefined processes, methodologies, and models that revisit and evaluate risks throughout the lifecycle of the program or project. In this paper, we develop models and expand upon current methodologies that provide guidance, risk mitigation, analysis, and strategies to system engineers and program managers when implementing the OTSO in military systems. We present OTSO acquisition models using Object Management Group System Modeling Language (OMG SysML™), which we refer to as SysML throughout the paper. Specifically, we utilize Use Cases, a State Diagram, a Requirements Diagram, and an Activity Diagram within the SysML language to model acquisition, sustainment, and risk mitigation phases of an OTSO. The purposes of the models are to illustrate how the processes are tightly coupled and to put forward a concept that “glues” the processes together. Additionally, the models demonstrate the interdependencies required among the various disciplines within an organization to successfully deploy and maintain a system utilizing an OTSO. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng