3.4.2 How the Pro‐Active Program (Project) Manager uses a Systems Engineer's Trade Study as a Management Tool, and not just a Decision‐Making Process

Abstract This paper takes the Program (Project) Manager's (PM or manager's) point of view in strategic decision management when trade studies are used as the decision‐making tool. The application of trade studies as a tool in the strategic decision management process transcends commercial and defense industries. Industry, government, and academia projects can benefit from using this robust, structured decision‐making process discussed herein as a management tool in overseeing and providing guidance in the project's direction. The trade study created and developed by the systems engineer for decision‐making should follow a clear pre‐defined decision‐making process. Such a process would result in unambiguous interpretation and understanding thereby improving buy‐in from all stakeholders. The focus of this paper is the major stakeholders' acceptance, buy‐in and in understanding the underlying information and knowledge used in the trade study decision‐making process. The PM is responsible and accountable for the successful execution of a program (project) given the necessary resources. As part of those duties, he/she is responsible for making the major decisions of the program and will also be accountable for those decisions. The leadership/executive management can and should ask the PM to explain, defend, and demonstrate the decision‐making methodology used in each major decision. Those demanding answers may include but are not limited to Director level, Vice‐President/ President of an organization, Board of Directors, contracting agency, Government representative, and/or any other sponsoring stakeholder. There may also come the expectation by major stakeholders to reproduce the major steps in the methodology of the decision‐making process. This expectation should in‐turn, be demanded by the PM and come as no surprise to the systems engineer developing the decision making study thus establishing and enforcing accountability. The process used for the trade study in arriving at the recommended decision, as a matter of good engineering/business practice, should be documented and archived in the program artifacts for future reference.