1. Tower CONOPS
The Bull Dog Unmanned Ground Vehicle was originally planned for infantry combat patrols. Base security forces have come in with a requirement to use the Bull Dog as a perimeter guard. The security forces do not desire the use of the portable operational control unit (OCU) for the Bull Dog. They prefer to direct the actions of the Bull Dog from an antenna tower co-located and linked with the base security control center. Your task is to design and fabricate a tower based on the requirements delineated on the following slide.
Most students will not have in-depth knowledge of the DoD Architecture Framework (DODAF) and the myriad of associated products but typically have seen an OV-1 such as the one depicted here. While the OV-1 seems to have limited usefulness from an SE perspective, it really serves as a key baseline architecture product in that it delineates the stakeholders involved as well as the associated “pipelines” of data/information and potential areas of concern for interoperability. From the OV-1, other more detailed architecture products can then be developed such as Systems Viewpoints, which describe resource flow and system functionality, that in turn more directly support the SE process.

2. Software Tower Exercise
The task is to, as a team, design and construct a free-standing tower using only 3x5-inch cards (Hardware Boards) with User Story (Software Code) written on the HW Boards and held together by scotch tape.
The customer requires that the tower be at least 24 inches high with User Story inscribed correctly.
The tower must be strong enough to support a whiteboard marker placed at the top for at least 15 seconds. Anything less has no value to the customer.
The goal is to design and construct a tower that meets, or exceeds, the customer's requirements while achieving as much profit as possible.
The cost is $100 for each 3x5 card purchased by the team. Unused cards are not redeemable. Each team shall be given one small roll of tape, a whiteboard marker and a ruler.
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*Slide Type: Exercise
*Supporting ELOs ID:
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Key Questions to Ask and Anticipated Answers:
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Tape is free, cards cost $ inches is the minimum requirement. Tower must be free-standing. No pre-cutting of tape!
Software Tower Exercise Slides

3. Software Tower Exercise
Project revenue of $1,000 will be earned when a tower is completed which will support the marker at the 24-inch level. $1,000 will be paid for each additional inch supporting the marker.
The team completing the tower first during the construction phase will receive a bonus of $2,000; the second-place finisher will receive $1,000; the third-place finisher will receive $500; fourth place will receive no bonus nor penalty; and fifth place will be penalized $500; and sixth place will be penalized $1,000.
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*Slide Type: Exercise
*Supporting ELOs ID:
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Key Questions to Ask and Anticipated Answers:
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$1,000 profit (less cost of index cards) for a 24 inch tower that supports a whiteboard marker. $1,000 for each additional inch.
Software Tower Exercise Slides

4. Software Tower Exercise
User Story must be inscribed onto the hardware boards per the Software Requirements Specification (SRS) found in ANNEX A enclosed to be deemed acceptable.
The Customer desires the developer to create the User Story such that it forms a complete sentence and has meaning. For example, “Software is fun!” (Cannot use)
The Customer desires the use of Open Systems Application Program Interfaces (API) as much as possible and will award an additional $5000 if all interfaces are OPEN.
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*Slide Type: Exercise
*Supporting ELOs ID:
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An additional $5,000 if all APIs are OPEN!
Software Tower Exercise Slides

5. Software Components in WBS
As part of the Systems Engineering Process, complex systems are decomposed into smaller subsystems and discrete products
The software requirements are broken down into Software Items (SI) and further into Software Units (SU)
SLIDE INFORMATION***************************************************************************************************************************
*Slide Type: Content (Content or Exercise)
*Supporting ELOs ID: Identify DoD SE technical reviews, technical processes, and technical management processes
*Policy / Directive / Standard / DTM ID: **********************************************************************************************************************************************************
Key Points:
The SI is still too high a level to design and code directly so they are further broken into Software Units
SW Unite are then designed, coded and tested
Key Questions to Ask and Anticipated Answers:
Terms \ Definitions \ Acronyms:
SI = Software Item
SU = Software Unit
SCI = Software Configuration Item. When a SI is identified for configuration control it is called an Software Configuration Item (SCI)
API
API
API
Systems Engineering

6. Software Tower Exercise
ANNEX A: SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATION (SRS)
SOFTWARE CLASS TYPES
NOTE: A hardware board subassembly is defined as a 3x5 card. Our hardware can only support five letters maximum (WORD TYPE) on a board or one Punctuation Type. All subassemblies have a software component. To create longer words, you must interface the boards using the Punctuation Type.
Software Unit (SU) WORD TYPE: A word type is defined as any group of letters or numbers from 1 to 5 characters long. Words can only be divided in-between “syl-la-bles” IAW the Merriam standard.
SU PUNCTUATION TYPE: The punctuation type is any non-letter or non-number type. The punctuation type provides the Application Program Interface (API) definition. All hardware boards must be interfaced from left to right or bottom to top to fit together. Only one punctuation type may be placed on a hardware board and not combined with a WORD TYPE. Only one API at a time. Must use a “ “ Blank between words.
OPEN INTERFACES: There are three (3) OPEN APIs: the “.” the “ “ (Blank Card) and the “-”
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*Slide Type: Exercise
*Supporting ELOs ID:
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Key Points: Optional Exercise
How might the original designs have been different if you would have known that you were going to have to integrate all 5 designs?
Show where each tower was integrated. Were there additional risks that came with those interfaces?
In the first part of the exercise, the customer mostly wanted height ($1,000 per inch above 24 inches). In this exercise, what is the major customer requirement?
Key Questions to Ask and Anticipated Answers:
Terms \ Definitions \ Acronyms: .
Software Tower Exercise Slides

7. Software Tower Exercise
20 Minute Pre-construction Phase.
Before construction starts, each team will be loaned twenty 3x5 cards and given 20 minutes to design their tower and decide how they will build it during the construction phase. Near the end of this 20 minute period, each team shall:
return the 20 loaned 3x5 cards.
purchase whatever number of 3x5 cards it will need to build its tower.
provide an estimate of the amount of profit it expects to earn, as well as an estimate of its tower construction time.
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*Slide Type: Exercise
*Supporting ELOs ID:
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You can’t reuse cards from the prototype, but you can do anything you want to them. Number of cards, amount of time in minutes (10 minutes max), and profit estimates are due in 20 minutes.
Software Tower Exercise Slides

8. Software Tower Exercise
10 Minute Actual Construction Phase.
This phase starts when all of the teams have completed the 20 minute pre-construction phase. All towers shall be constructed at the same time, and each team shall record the amount of time it uses to build its tower.
15 Minute Post-Construction Phase.
Each team shall list its profit (loss) versus its estimated amount, its actual time versus it estimated time, and provide explanations for any differences. Each team shall also prepare to describe and critique their processes and the trade-offs they considered.
During this segment, the instructor will lead a discussion. Teams should be prepared to discuss their processes, trade-off’s they considered, and aspects of the SE Processes applicable to the exercise.
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*Slide Type: Exercise
*Supporting ELOs ID:
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You are stuck with the number of cards ordered! No buy backs or reorders!
Software Tower Exercise Slides

9. Post-Construction Phase
(15 min)
Instructor leads class discussion on the following:
How did the use of SE Design Processes facilitate the Tower effort? In general how can they improve the efficiency of DoD acquisition?
What Tower design trade-offs were considered?
How does a system’s CONOPS and Architecture products help identify interoperability issues? How does it facilitate understanding of requirements?
What purpose does planning/prototyping serve? How did prototyping help in the Tower exercise?
Other lessons learned?
Present the filled in spreadsheet to the students showing the results. While order of finish, profit, height of tower, are obvious discussion points also look at initial estimates and see which teams “overestimated” or “underestimated” the ultimate height of the tower and associated profit.