Original Date: 02/26/2001
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

The Systems Engineering Management Plan is an engineering document that describes how a project is to be performed; and how cost, schedule, and technical objectives are to be met. This efficient and detailed process plan enables General Dynamics Armament Systems to produce a requirements-compliant design in a minimum amount of time.

Heritage project development plans at General Dynamics Armament Systems (GDAS) were captured by an engineering program plan involving system and requirements descriptions; organization; schedule; fabrication and test plans; and configuration management controls. This selectively applied process was usually limited to large programs, frequently issued midway through projects, and was unlikely to be maintained or updated. To resolve this situation, GDAS implemented the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP).

GDAS mandates the use of the SEMP as part of its Structured Product Development Process (SPDpro). The Plan defines how a project is to be performed; and how cost, schedule, and technical objectives are to be met. Elements of a documented project plan include describing the product; identification and description of key requirements; establishing how the project will be managed; presenting an overview of the concept and detailed designs; describing how project risks will be managed; planned designed and test reviews at appropriate stages of development; defining the project team and schedule; describing the verification methods to be used; and identifying the documentation to be generated. Documentation requirements include prime and critical item development specifications; interface control documents; technical performance measurements; product unique identifiers; a plan for drawing completion; requirements traceability matrices; and test, risk management, design-to-cost, design-to-weight, and engineering analysis plans.

The SEMP standardizes project planning implementation by requiring a plan to be established before a project can be started. The Plan also defines the project category, and facilitates project unique tailoring. As a result, metrics can be developed and used to identify project risks and monitor project performance. Since implementing the SEMP, GDAS is now able to produce a requirements-compliant design in a minimum amount of time.

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