Original Date: 08/10/1998
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

(equipment: cost models, spreadsheets, modeling and simulation, N² diagrams, behavioral models, data flow control diagrams, simulation for alternatives modeling, quality function deployment)
In the past, no documented Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment (ALRE)/Support Equipment (SE) requirements process or tools existed at Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), Lakehurst. Other obstacles were a lack of configuration management, no clear set of requirements/baselines, and under utilized equipment. In 1993, NAWC, Lakehurst’s Systems Engineering Department began designing a requirements analysis procedure that could develop and validate ALRE/SE requirements. These requirements establish the baseline for developing a functional system which can operate effectively and meet its mission. Fully implemented in 1997, the ALRE/SE Requirements Analysis procedure was designed to optimize Fleet requirements, benchmark solution performance, identify prospective solutions, improve equipment performance, develop clear test and evaluation metrics, and measure affordable readiness.

The ALRE/SE Requirements Analysis procedure also ties into ensuing processes such as trade studies, technical performance reviews, Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) preparation, functional analyses, and specification development. As the foundation of any new program, requirements definition provides the fundamental knowledge for engineering design, development, and manufacture. Regarding ALRE/SE, requirements analysis serves as the bridge between customer requirements and deriving requirements from which solutions can be generated. Fleet needs, objectives, and requirements are analyzed in the context of Fleet missions, utilization environments, and required system capabilities. Requirements analysis is initiated by validating and verifying the mission and the operational needs. This effort results in the determination of functional and performance requirements for each primary function of the system.

The ALRE/SE Requirements Analysis procedure consists of nine steps: task agreement (customer); system engineer coordination (supplier); generation and validation of mission/operational needs; mission need analysis; operational requirements analysis; requirements trade-off analyses; preparation of operational requirements document/report; systems requirement review; and output. The output of this process supports the following: the TEMP preparation, functional analysis, functional baseline specification, and allocated baseline specification.

Complex/mission critical systems require a structured systems engineering approach to requirements definition. Requirements analysis is complex, and requires strong leadership and good analytical skills in many disciplines including field experience. The ALRE/SE Requirements Analysis procedure enables NAWC, Lakehurst to make better decisions, determine the requirements of a product, and maintain the traceability of requirements.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.