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Agile Systems Engineering & Agile at SKA Scale

Agile Systems Engineering & Agile at SKA Scale

Systems Engineering (SE) is the set of processes and documentation required for successfully realising large-scale engineering projects, but the classical approach is not a good fit for software-intensive projects, especially when the needs of the different stakeholders are not fully known from the beginning, and requirement priorities might change. The SKA is the ultimate software-enabled telescope, with enormous amounts of computing hardware and software required to perform its data reduction. We give an overview of the system and software engineering processes in the SKA1 development, and the tension between classical and agile SE.

Juande Santander-Vela

October 24, 2017
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  1. Agile Software Engineering
    & System Engineering at
    SKA scale
    Juande Santander-Vela
    SKA SW Systems Engineer
    SQUARE KILOMETRE ARRAY
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    Astronomical Data Analysis
    Software & Systems
    (on behalf of the SE team)

    View Slide

  2. SKA Key Science Drivers:
    The history of the Universe
    Cosmic Dawn

    (First Stars and Galaxies)
    Galaxy Evolution

    (Normal Galaxies z~2-3)
    Cosmology

    (Dark Energy, Large Scale Structure)
    Cosmic Magnetism

    (Origin, Evolution)
    Cradle of Life

    (Planets, Molecules, SETI)
    Testing General Relativity

    (Strong Regime, Gravitational Waves)
    Exploration of the Unknown
    Broadest range of
    science of any facility,
    worldwide

    View Slide

  3. SKA Observatory Vision
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    3 sites
    2 telescopes
    1 observatory
    Design Phase:
    ~ €200M; 600 scientists+engineers,

    80% complete
    SKA Phase 1 (SKA1)
    Construction: 2019 – 2025

    Construction cost cap: €674.1M
    (2016 inflation-adjusted)

    Operations cost: (estimate) €89M/yr

    MeerKAT integrated
    Observatory Development Programme
    (€20M/year planned)

    SKA Regional centres out of scope of
    centrally-funded SKAO.
    SKA Phase 2: start mid-2020s
    ~2000 dishes across 3500km of
    Southern Africa

    Major expansion of SKA1-Low
    across Western Australia
    >50 years lifetime!
    Drives need for reliability,
    and adaptability

    View Slide

  4. SKA Observatory Vision
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    3 sites
    2 telescopes
    1 observatory
    Design Phase:
    ~ €200M; 600 scientists+engineers,

    80% complete
    SKA Phase 1 (SKA1)
    Construction: 2019 – 2025

    Construction cost cap: €674.1M
    (2016 inflation-adjusted)

    Operations cost: (estimate) €89M/yr

    MeerKAT integrated
    Observatory Development Programme
    (€20M/year planned)

    SKA Regional centres out of scope of
    centrally-funded SKAO.
    SKA Phase 2: start mid-2020s
    ~2000 dishes across 3500km of
    Southern Africa

    Major expansion of SKA1-Low
    across Western Australia
    >50 years lifetime!
    Drives need for reliability,
    and adaptability

    View Slide

  5. SKA Organisation
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    ! Australia (DoI&S)

    " Canada (NRC-HIA)

    # China (MOST)

    $ India (DAE)

    % Italy (INAF)

    & Netherlands (NWO)

    ' New Zealand (MED)

    ( South Africa (DST)

    ) Sweden (Chalmers)

    * UK (BEIS/STFC)
    In discussion with:

    + Germany

    , France

    - Portugal

    . Spain

    / Switzerland

    0 Japan

    1 South Korea

    In the process of
    becoming an Inter-
    Governmental
    Organisation

    View Slide

  6. SKA1 Design Consortia
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  7. SKA1 Design Consortia
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    Software
    Heavy
    Elements

    View Slide

  8. Have
    ~6-10 × FTE
    wrt SKAO
    SKA1 Design Consortia
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  9. 1000 km
    Map data ©2017 Terms of Use
    Filter Consortia
    Assembly, Integration & Verification
    Central Signal Processor
    Dish
    Infrastructure Australia
    Infrastructure South Africa
    Low-Frequency Aperture Array
    Mid-Frequency Aperture Array
    Science Data Processor
    Signal and Data Transport
    Telescope Manager
    Wideband Single Pixel Feeds
    Check/uncheck all
    GMT-7
    GMT+12
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    19 hour timezone span

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  10. SKA1-Low locations
    1600 km
    N


    N
    Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO
    Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO
    Image Landsat / Copernicus
    Image Landsat / Copernicus
    SKA1-Mid locations
    500 km
    N


    N
    Image Landsat / Copernicus
    Image Landsat / Copernicus
    Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO
    Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO
    SKA1 Sites
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    SKA1-LOW: 50 – 350 MHz
    Phase 1: ~130,000 antennas

    across 65km
    SKA1-Mid: 350 MHz – 24 GHz
    Phase 1: 200 15-m dishes

    across 150 km

    View Slide

  11. SKA1 Telescopes
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    SKA1-LOW: 50 – 350 MHz
    Phase 1: ~130,000 antennas

    across 65km
    SKA1-Mid: 350 MHz – 24 GHz
    Phase 1: 200 15-m dishes

    across 150 km

    View Slide

  12. SKA1 Notional Data Flow
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    2 Pb/s 7.2 Tb/s
    7.2 Tb/s
    8.8 Tb/s
    8.8 Tb/s
    ~50 PFLOPS
    ~5 Tb/s
    ~250 PFLOPS
    Long Term
    Storage
    300 PB/year
    LFAA Data Network Digital Data Backhaul
    Digital Data Backhaul
    CSP-SDP Network

    View Slide

  13. SKA1 Notional Data Flow
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    2 Pb/s 7.2 Tb/s
    7.2 Tb/s
    8.8 Tb/s
    8.8 Tb/s
    ~50 PFLOPS
    ~5 Tb/s
    ~250 PFLOPS
    Long Term
    Storage
    300 PB/year
    LFAA Data Network Digital Data Backhaul
    Digital Data Backhaul
    CSP-SDP Network

    View Slide

  14. SKA1 Notional Data Flow
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    2 Pb/s 7.2 Tb/s
    7.2 Tb/s
    8.8 Tb/s
    8.8 Tb/s
    ~50 PFLOPS
    ~5 Tb/s
    ~250 PFLOPS
    Long Term
    Storage
    300 PB/year
    LFAA Data Network Digital Data Backhaul
    Digital Data Backhaul
    CSP-SDP Network

    View Slide

  15. SKA1 Notional Data Flow
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    2 Pb/s 7.2 Tb/s
    7.2 Tb/s
    8.8 Tb/s
    8.8 Tb/s
    ~50 PFLOPS
    ~5 Tb/s
    ~250 PFLOPS
    Long Term
    Storage
    300 PB/year
    LFAA Data Network Digital Data Backhaul
    Digital Data Backhaul
    CSP-SDP Network
    Similar to LOFAR
    in flexibility.
    See O4.2 by
    Adriaan Renting

    View Slide

  16. How to develop so
    much software?
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  17. Agile
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  18. Agile, Scaled Agile
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    (Framework)

    View Slide

  19. SAFe for Lean Enterprises Large Solution SAFe
    ®
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    Agile Teams, 5-7
    people (including
    Scrum Master),
    ±2 people

    Agile Release
    Trains (ARTs)
    in Definition
    https://scaledagileframework.com/

    View Slide

  20. Agile Manifesto
    • Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

    • Working software over comprehensive documentation

    • Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

    • Responding to change over following a plan
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    http://agilemanifesto.org

    View Slide

  21. The emphasis is on Quality
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    Nick Rees talk I10.1
    (Thursday 26th, 9:00 AM)

    View Slide

  22. What about
    Systems Engineering?
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  23. INCOSE, 2004
    “Systems engineering [SE] is an interdisciplinary approach and
    means to enable the realisation of successful systems […] [SE]
    integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort
    forming a structured development process […] from concept to
    production to operation. [SE] considers both the business and the
    technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality
    product that meets the user needs.”
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  24. INCOSE, 2004
    “Systems engineering [SE] is an interdisciplinary approach and
    means to enable the realisation of successful systems […] [SE]
    integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort
    forming a structured development process […] from concept to
    production to operation. [SE] considers both the business and the
    technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality
    product that meets the user needs.”
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  25. INCOSE, 2004
    “Systems engineering [SE] is an interdisciplinary approach and
    means to enable the realisation of successful systems […] [SE]
    integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort
    forming a structured development process […] from concept to
    production to operation. [SE] considers both the business and the
    technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality
    product that meets the user needs.”
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  26. INCOSE, 2004
    “Systems engineering [SE] is an interdisciplinary approach and
    means to enable the realisation of successful systems […] [SE]
    integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort
    forming a structured development process […] from concept to
    production to operation. [SE] considers both the business and the
    technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality
    product that meets the user needs.”
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  27. INCOSE, 2004
    “Systems engineering [SE] is an interdisciplinary approach and
    means to enable the realisation of successful systems […] [SE]
    integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort
    forming a structured development process […] from concept to
    production to operation. [SE] considers both the business and the
    technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality
    product that meets the user needs.”
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  28. David Long, CEO Vitech Corp
    “The role of Systems Engineers is to encode
    and translate engineering to all stakeholders.”
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  29. Nick Rees, SKAO Head of Computing
    “Systems Engineers capture and remind us
    of all the bullshit stakeholders say about
    the system.”
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  30. Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  31. Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  32. Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

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  33. Juande Santander-Vela, SKAO Software SE
    “Systems Engineers have to provide useful
    engineering artefacts to stakeholders, notice
    still missing definition, and supply it ASAP”
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    Freshly coined for
    #ADASS2017CL!

    View Slide

  34. Juande Santander-Vela, SKAO Software SE
    “Systems Engineers have to provide useful
    engineering artefacts to stakeholders, notice
    still missing definition, and supply it ASAP”
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    Or assess and
    record the risk of
    not doing it
    Freshly coined for
    #ADASS2017CL!

    View Slide

  35. INCOSE, 2004
    “Systems engineering [SE] is an interdisciplinary approach and
    means to enable the realisation of successful systems […] [SE]
    integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort
    forming a structured development process […] from concept to
    production to operation. [SE] considers both the business and the
    technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality
    product that meets the user needs.”
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    With an assessment of
    what are the risks against
    quality and user needs

    View Slide

  36. SE must be Agile, or it
    provides diminished value
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  37. Agile Manifesto
    • Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

    • Working software over comprehensive documentation

    • Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

    • Responding to change over following a plan
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    http://agilemanifesto.org

    View Slide

  38. Agile SE
    • Keep communication with all stakeholders involved in the project, with
    speedy and clear dissemination of agreements

    • Continuous integration of the engineering artefacts… and code,
    preferably self-documented

    • Get devs (and SEs) that are invested, not just
    contracted → Gain‑share frameworks

    • Have systems & processes that accommodate system (and code)
    change and prove requirements are satisfied → don’t do document-
    centric requirements management
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  39. Agile SE
    • Keep communication with all stakeholders involved in the project, with
    speedy and clear dissemination of agreements

    • Continuous integration of the engineering artefacts… and code,
    preferably self-documented

    • Get devs (and SEs) that are invested, not just
    contracted → Gain‑share frameworks

    • Have systems & processes that accommodate system (and code)
    change and prove requirements are satisfied → don’t do document-
    centric requirements management
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    At all phases! Including design,
    construction, commissioning, and
    operations…
    Don’t disband SE!

    View Slide

  40. Agile SE
    • Keep communication with all stakeholders involved in the project, with
    speedy and clear dissemination of agreements

    • Continuous integration of the engineering artefacts… and code,
    preferably self-documented

    • Get devs (and SEs) that are invested, not just
    contracted → Gain‑share frameworks

    • Have systems & processes that accommodate system (and code)
    change and prove requirements are satisfied → don’t do document-
    centric requirements management
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    At all phases! Including design,
    construction, commissioning, and
    operations…
    Don’t disband SE!

    View Slide

  41. Agile SE
    • Keep communication with all stakeholders involved in the project, with
    speedy and clear dissemination of agreements

    • Continuous integration of the engineering artefacts… and code,
    preferably self-documented

    • Get devs (and SEs) that are invested, not just
    contracted → Gain‑share frameworks

    • Have systems & processes that accommodate system (and code)
    change and prove requirements are satisfied → don’t do document-
    centric requirements management
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    At all phases! Including design,
    construction, commissioning, and
    operations…
    Don’t disband SE!

    View Slide

  42. Agile SE
    • Keep communication with all stakeholders involved in the project, with
    speedy and clear dissemination of agreements

    • Continuous integration of the engineering artefacts… and code,
    preferably self-documented

    • Get devs (and SEs) that are invested, not just
    contracted → Gain‑share frameworks

    • Have systems & processes that accommodate system (and code)
    change and prove requirements are satisfied → don’t do document-
    centric requirements management
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    Partners, not
    contractors/suppliers
    mentioned by
    JC Guzman on I2.1
    At all phases! Including design,
    construction, commissioning, and
    operations…
    Don’t disband SE!

    View Slide

  43. Agile SE
    • Keep communication with all stakeholders involved in the project, with
    speedy and clear dissemination of agreements

    • Continuous integration of the engineering artefacts… and code,
    preferably self-documented

    • Get devs (and SEs) that are invested, not just
    contracted → Gain‑share frameworks

    • Have systems & processes that accommodate system (and code)
    change and prove requirements are satisfied → don’t do document-
    centric requirements management
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    Partners, not
    contractors/suppliers
    mentioned by
    JC Guzman on I2.1
    At all phases! Including design,
    construction, commissioning, and
    operations…
    Don’t disband SE!

    View Slide

  44. Agile-ish Practices at SKAO
    • SE planning

    • We have a full plan, from which the backlog is constructed

    • Progress reviewed every 2 weeks, with forward look to another 2 weeks

    • Systems Modelling

    • Integrated System Model for SKA1_Common and SKA1_Low in Cameo SysML

    • Second model for SKA1_Mid in Vitech CORE

    • Used for ICDs, discussions

    • SKA1_Mid and SKA1_Low Block Diagrams

    • Used for reference, updated in agile way, but low priority
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  45. Agile-ish Practices at SKA1
    • Consortia work-planning

    • Agile for SDP, TM

    • LFAA uses agile for software development of AAVS1 prototype

    • Others want to embrace SAFe for construction, just not now

    • Multimodal communication

    • Email, SMS, Confluence, JIRA, Jama comments, Slack, Vidyo, Skype…
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  46. Not so Agile-ish Practices at SKAO
    • Engineering Change Process (ECPs) and Change Notes (CNs)

    • Bug, or Feature? Still TBD for ECPs → more time to reflect

    • Need for formality/signature/buy-in across consortia requires time; we need to
    be able to move from as agreed to as designed before as signed… but how?

    • Lack of JIRA/backlog culture → starting to improve

    • Lack of self-awareness of performance metrics → starting to improve
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  47. Agile SE is not for free…
    • Coordination/communication takes time!

    • Self-organisation frees time from management, but needs assistance from
    monitoring → back to coordination!

    • Automation of monitoring and communication can help… but still the
    effectiveness of the communication needs to be monitored.
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    a lot of
    But it makes it easier to
    focus on the right things

    View Slide

  48. Conclusions
    • Agile SE can be seen as a tailoring of SE; you still need to identify which
    are the processes that provide value to your system/organisation.

    • It is a challenge to create teams that can work together, but making it
    on a cadence makes it easier to achieve it… through repetition.

    • We have to improve a lot at SKAO… but we’re working on it.

    • Agile for Agile’s sake is a fad; you become Agile it to build quality, and
    respond to mistakes, sooner.
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope

    View Slide

  49. Thanks!
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    SQUARE KILOMETRE ARRAY

    View Slide

  50. Questions?
    Exploring the Universe with the worlds’ largest radio telescope
    SQUARE KILOMETRE ARRAY
    [email protected]

    View Slide