The UK ATC follows an integrated systems engineering approach to develop world class telescope and astronomical instruments. It is the role of Systems Engineering to define and apply the design process through:

• the comprehensive capture and tracking of requirements
• the flow down of those requirements to sub-systems
• the definition and control of interfaces between the sub-systems
• the application of end-to-end systems analysis and modelling and the subsequent allocation and management of technical budgets/tolerances
• the development of integration and test plans which will verify compliance with sub-system and, ultimately, top-level requirements

Systems Engineers have a high level of technical awareness coupled with strong communication and organisational skills. Until recently the UK ATC shared these roles between the project manager and project scientist but now it has a dedicated Systems Engineering Group with four highly accomplished systems engineers. They are applying a well understood systems engineering process across all current projects.

At the moment the Projects getting most systems engineering input are VISTA, SCUBA 2 and KMOS along with conceptual design studies for potential ELT Instruments. The Group are also leading implementation of organisation-wide Configuration Management Tool using 'Livelink' software.

Head of Group

• Hermine Schnetler
  Tel: +44 (0)131 668 8265

Group domain / skills

• Collaborations
• Programmes
• Projects
• Design studies
• Workpackages
• Technical management, including partner / collaborator interfacing and control of work
• Requirements capture and management
• System modelling and analysis
• Management of AIT activities
• Configuration management
• Technical audit technical awareness

Tools

• MS Office
• MS Project
• In-house procedures
• Risk
• Fault logging tools
• TWikis
• Configuration Management System in development using Livelink software and based on CMII principles