Agile Systems Engineering Process Features Collective Culture, Consciousness, and Conscience at SSC Pacific Unmanned Systems Group

SPAWAR System Center Pacific (SSC-Pac) in San Diego has established an Unmanned System Integration, Test, and Experimentation (UxSITE) capability to facilitate agile development of unmanned systems. This capability utilizes a unique agile systems engineering process with 6-month overlapping “waves” consisting of four phases: development by multiple-subcontractors, and operational management of systems architecture evolution, capability integration, and validation testing. The UxSITE capability supports a portfolio of projects, and has three years of respected and effective results. Most notably, the process puts a prime emphasis on enabling and facilitating team effectiveness: creating an embraced culture of engagement, a collective consciousness emerging from comprehensive real-time information support, and a team conscience on a mission for the end users.