Research on a Framework for Selecting and ApplyingSystems Engineering Tools for Australian Small and MediumEnterprises – II

摘要

Many of the subsystems developed by the Australian Small and Medium Enterprisesrn(SMEs) are integrated into military systems developed by larger companies. If the SMEs cannotrnwin and sustain defence contracts to develop the subsystems because of their lack of systemsrncapability, then the ability of the Australian Defence to develop and deploy needed systems willrnbe adversely affected. By systems capability it is meant effectual use of sound systemsrnengineering (SE) processes and effective use of SE tools. Unlike most large organisations, manyrnof the Australian SMEs engaging in defence work have not widely employed SE processes andrntools in their endeavour. In addition, the SE software tools currently used by the AustralianrnSMEs do not appear to have effectively aided the SMEs in their work. This paper describes arnmethodology employed in the development of a framework for aiding Australian SMEs inrndefence work in effectively acquiring and applying SE processes and tools and thereby helpingrnto improve their systems capability. Specifically, the methodology involves a collection andrnanalysis of information, using qualitative grounded theory as the fundamental analysis technique,rnand Nvivo software as the analysis tool. The paper also discusses some preliminary results of thernresearch and future work.