Tag: requirements-analysis-and-design-definition

Introduction

Hello and welcome to the Safety Artisan, where you will find professional, pragmatic and impartial advice on all things system, safety and related.

System Requirements Hazard Analysis

And so today, which is the 1st of March 2020, we’re going to be talking about – let me just find it for you – we’ll be talking about system requirements, hazard analysis. And this is part of our series on Mil. Standard 882E (882 Echo) and this one a task 203. Task 203 in the Mil. standard. And it’s a very widely used system safety engineering standard and its influence is found in many places, not just on military procurement programs.

Topics for this Session

We’re going to look at this task, which is very important, possibly the most important task of all, as we’ll see. so in to talk about the purpose of the task, which is word for word from the task description itself. We’re going to talk about in the task description, the three aims of this task, which is to determine or work out requirements, incorporate them, and then assess the compliance of the system with those requirements, because, of course, it may not be a simple read-across. We’ve got six slides on that. That’s most of the task. Then we’ve just got one slide on contracting, which if you’ve seen any of the others in this series, will seem very familiar. We’ve got a little bit of a chat about Section 4.2 from the standard and some commentary, and the reason for that will become clear. So, let’s crack on.

System Requirements Hazard Analysis

Task 203.1, the purpose of Task 203 is to perform and document a System Requirements Hazard Analysis or SRHA. And as we’ve already said, the purpose of this is to determine the design requirements. We’re going to focus on design rather than buying stuff off the shelf – we’ll talk about the implications of that a little bit later. Design requirements to eliminate or reduce hazards and risks, incorporate those requirements, into a says, into the documentation, but what it should say is incorporate risk reduction measures into the system itself and then document it. And then finally, to assess compliance of the system with these requirements. Then it says the SRHA address addresses all life-cycle phases, so not just meant for you to think about certain phases of the program. What are the requirements through life for the system? And in all modes. Whether it’s in operation, whether it’s in maintenance or refit, whether it’s being repaired or disposed of, whatever it might be.

Task Description #1

First of six slides on the task description. I’m using more than one colour because there’s some quite a lot of important points packed quite tightly together in this description. We’re assuming that the contractor performs and documents this SRHA. The customer needs to do a lot of work here before ever gets near a contractor. More on that later. We need to determine system design requirements to eliminate hazards or reduce associated risks.

Two things here. By identifying applicable policies, regulations and standards etc. More on that later. And analysing identified hazards. So, requirements to perform the analysis as well as to simply just state ‘We want a system to do this and not to do that’. So, we need to put some requirements to say ‘Here’s what we want analysed maybe to what degree? And why.’ is always helpful.

Task Description #2

Breaking those breaking those two requirements down.

Part a. We’re going to identify applicable requirements by reviewing our military and industry standards and specs, historical documentation of systems that are similar or with a system that we’re replacing, perhaps. Look at, it’s assumed that the US Department of Defense is the customer, ultimate customer. So, the ultimate customer’s requirements, including whatever they’ve said about standard ways of mitigating certain common risks. System performance spec, that’s your functional performance spec or whatever you want to call it. Other system design requirements and documents- Bit of a catchall there. And applicable federal, military, state and local regulations. This is a US standard. It’s a federated system, much like Australia or indeed lots of modern states, even the UK. There are variations in law across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. They’re not great, but they do exist. And in the US and Australia, those differences are greater. And it says applicable executive orders. Executive orders, they’re not law, but they are what the executive arm of the U.S. government has issued, and international agreements. A lot of words in there- have a look at the different statements that are in that in white, blue and yellow. Basically, from international agreements right down to whatever requirements may be applicable, they all need to be looked at and taken account of. So, there’s a huge amount of work there for someone to do. I’ll come back to who that someone should be later.

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End

Well, that is the end of the presentation. And it just remains for me to say thanks again for watching and do lookout for the next sessions in the series on 882 echo (882E). There are quite a few to go. We’re going to go through all the tasks and the general and specific requirements of the standard and the appendices. We will also talk about more advanced topics, about how we manage and apply all this stuff.

So, from The Safety Artisan, thanks very much and goodbye.