Analysis of the requirements generation process for the Logistics Analysis and Wargame Support Tool

Abstract

This thesis conducts an analysis of the system requirements for the Logistics Analysis and Wargame Support Tool (LAWST). It studies the process used to develop those requirements and potential requirements if a systems engineering (SE) approach had been used. The original requirements for LAWST are found in documentation provided by the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office (E2O) along with information indicating the sources of those requirements. As it is designed, LAWST may only be useful for a narrow scope, such as supporting seminar-type wargames where time is not a driving factor, while E2O is looking for a tool that is useful at the tactical edge to support wargaming as part of a high-paced planning process. A method based on the SE process is used to determine what the requirements for LAWST would be using this approach. When a system is developed using a set of requirements developed through an SE approach, it can address customer needs more completely and be produced at greater long-term cost savings than a system that has an incomplete set of requirements necessitating additional development. We recommend that E2O adopt a method for generating requirements based on the SE process for any future development.