IMC's systems engineering capabilities are best known by our specialty in requirements development, starting with user requirements, and then developing traceable system requirements and component specifications.
IMC has been deeply involved in the modeling and simulation arena since 1995 and the team at IMC has extensive experience in systems engineering for modeling and simulation projects, with targeted expertise in the requirements development process, the development of testing criteria, and validation, verification, and accreditation of models and simulations.
IMC has been developing system requirements since 1995. Our processes are flexible and we adapt them based on the size of the system and the level of acceptable development risk. Small system developments may not always be able to afford a complete set of system requirements using the most advanced requirement tools. Also, some customers are willing to keep their requirements fluid during the initial phases of a system development and it would be a waste of time and money to develop a complete set of requirements and specification before the design phase begins.
For large system developments, IMC works with the customer to define the level of detail for the requirements development effort and to pick the appropriate requirements development tools to use for the requirements development and documentation processes. Our system engineers stay current on several methodologies and tools and can quickly develop the expertise needed to use any method or tool our customers may prefer.
For software system requirements IMC has developed a proprietary method for requirements development that has proven to be very efficient. Our approach allows us to go from user needs to fully-allocated functional requirements in as little as one week for small- and medium-sized software application development efforts.
Developing models and simulations calls for more requirements than standard software developments. These additional requirements define how the entities and processes that are being modeled and simulated should be represented mathematically. IMC has exceptional expertise in the establishing and documenting representation requirements as well as all the customary software requirements that are also necessary.
The best time to develop test criteria for a system is at the time the requirements are developed. IMCs expertise in requirements development, along with our very deep experience in software testing, makes the establishment of modeling and simulation test criteria a core capability.
IMC has performed VV&A activities on more than a dozen models and simulations since 1997. Many of these are very large simulations that are used in the Department of Defense. IMC team members were the major contributors to the Department of Defense's Recommended Practices Guide for Modeling and Simulation VV&A and we have developed systematic, repeatable methodologies for all aspects of the VV&A processes.
Read more about IMC's related expertise in Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services for government projects.
IMC has successfully performed on a variety of government contracts that involved systems engineering services and expertise. For example, IMC:
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Verifies requirements as presented by developers for a number of Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) projects with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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Developed the user and functional requirements for the U.S. Air Force's Air Expeditionary Wing Analysis System (AEWAS) to support increased Air Expeditionary Wing exercise, training, and warfighting capabilities. In addition to requirements development, IMC also developed the system design documents, the design integration document, the test plan, the implementation plan, and the demonstration plan.
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Conducted the requirements analysis on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Bureau of Veterans Appeals Web-based Text and Imaging System.
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Developed the requirements for a technology forecasting tool for the U.S. Army National Ground Intelligence Center and the award-winning, artificial intelligence-based training program Non-Kinetic (NonKin) Village.
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Conducts studies and analyses for the U.S. Marine Corp Combat Development Command (as a subcontractor to Group W) to inform decision makers on a multitude of requirements. IMC has helped develop training requirements through studies and analyses and we have provided analysis to support the development of material requirements, in particular the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (the replacement to the Humvee). IMC has also done studies to inform the U.S. Marine Corp Expeditionary Energy Office on future energy needs of the Marine Corps.
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Performs simulation VV&A for the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (as a subcontractor to Battelle).
What is systems engineering?
According to the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), "Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems. It focuses on defining customer needs and required functionality early in the development cycle, documenting requirements, then proceeding with design synthesis and system validation while considering the complete problem.
Systems engineering integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort forming a structured development process that proceeds from concept to production to operation. Systems engineering considers both the business and the technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality product that meets the user needs."