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What:�� Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Public Dissertation Defense
When:��Tuesday December 10^th, 2024, 10:00 - 11:30 am ET
Where:����Conference Room 2101A, Engineering Systems Building and Zoom Broadcast at Link

Who:����Meggan Schoenberg, Doctoral Candidate

TITLE:��A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR EXAMINATION OF CONTEXT IN COMPLEX SYSTEM GOVERNANCE

ABSTRACT:

“A complex system’s identity and viability are directly related and affected by its context. It is important to identify, monitor, and manage (or mitigate risk) system contextual elements.” (Keating C. B. et al., 2022, p. 209)�� Despite this importance, there is very limited research and literature on complex systems context. This research seeks to expand our understanding of complex system context and improve our ability to govern complex technology development programs effectively. The ability to analyze complex systems and their problems is necessary for this improvement.��

A “clear understanding of the specific complex system context is fundamental to the process of understanding and analyzing complex systems and complex system problems” (Crownover, 2005, p. ii)�� Crownover’s Complex System Contextual Framework (CSCF) is the first and only framework of context that provides a characterization of context relative to a complex system. However, until now, the CSCF has not been used in an operational setting for analysis. This research addresses this gap through exploration of the use of CSCF to analyze a complex technology development program with two sub-systems or projects, one successful and one failed.

A rigorous research methodology, employing Case Study analysis, most closely related to Yin’s Embedded, Single-Case Design (Yin, 2018), was used for this exploration. Specifically, the method was used to answer two research questions:

1. How can the CSCF be adapted for the analysis of complex systems?

2. What results from the application of the CSCF in an operational setting?

The research methodology evolved into an inductive method and framework that provided an understanding of complex system context, contextual relationships, and influence on the complex system. CSCF was successfully adapted as a framework and augmented with a methodology to conduct analysis.�� It shows the usefulness of the framework for analysis and provides visibility for others to continue refining and exploring its usefulness for other areas of complex system governance. This framework and method not only evolve our systems engineering knowledge but also provide a foundation for the development of tools to govern context and its influence on the complex system of interest.