Systems Engineering Catch-22
So, at big defense contractor inc, we are developing a small piece of a multi-billion dollar, multi-year project. The basic idea is do a certain task over a network versus having field personnel running around in jeeps getting shot at. Sounds like a good idea.
Of course, we have to accomodate all the currently installed h/w and s/w systems out there as we become a middleman for moving this stuff around. Again, seems like the logical thing to do.
In the typical environment there are people called Systems Engineers who have been beating the bushes for months ahead of s/w teams getting involved to gather all the details on the current h/w and s/w. These people are fully qualified to do this kind of work. Again, seems like a good thing.
Now we hit reality.
The typical system we are attempting to work with had been developed by a small company somewhere in the midwest. Like any company after n years they no longer actively promote or develop that product. Yes, you can call the help desk for support and get an answer. You can not ask for changes or things like coding details as that knowledge is probably not available anymore, i.e. that programmer is retired in ‘97.
Well, what’s the big deal? Surely the US armed forces has upgraded their systems! No. It is STOP that once something works in the field it stays in the field, is never updated or replaced until it breaks.
So, ok, then there is a large user base to talk to about how they are actually using the systems. Yes, they exist. No, you can not talk to them, they are busy getting shot at while driving around with the data that we are supposed to transmit over the network (see start of article above).