Risk Management and Systems Engineering Flashcards
6 cards from real BSE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Risk Management and Systems Engineering flashcards as text
What is the purpose of a Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) in systems engineering?
Answer: To identify all potential failure modes in a system and calculate their probability of causing a top-level failure
Fault Tree Analysis uses deductive logic (top-down) to identify combinations of component failures or human errors that could lead to a specific undesired system-level event.
What does the 'systems thinking' approach emphasize when solving engineering management problems?
Answer: Focusing on the interactions and interdependencies between components rather than individual parts
Systems thinking examines how a system's components interact and influence each other, recognizing that changing one part affects the whole system.
What is 'configuration management' in systems engineering?
Answer: A discipline for systematically controlling changes to system components and maintaining their integrity throughout development
Configuration management establishes and maintains the consistency of a product's performance, functional, and physical attributes throughout its life cycle.
Which type of risk analysis technique uses historical data and expert judgment to assign probability values to identified risks without performing statistical modeling?
Answer: Qualitative Risk Analysis
Qualitative risk analysis uses expert judgment and predefined scales to assess and prioritize risks based on their probability and impact without precise numerical calculations.
In engineering systems design, what is the 'trade study' process used for?
Answer: Systematically evaluating competing design alternatives against criteria to select the best option
A trade study (or trade-off analysis) evaluates multiple design alternatives against weighted criteria to objectively select the design that best satisfies system requirements.
What is the primary purpose of Verification and Validation (V&V) in systems engineering?
Answer: Verification confirms 'did we build it right'; Validation confirms 'did we build the right thing'
Verification checks that the system was built according to its specifications, while validation confirms that the system meets the actual needs and intended use of stakeholders.