A Conceptual Methodology for Selecting the Preferred System of Systems

This paper presents a conceptual methodology for selecting existing systems to form candidate systems of systems (SoS) and selecting the preferred candidate SoS to provide a new capability. This methodology begins with SoS acquisition and mission requirements and selects the preferred SoS in six steps. Decision factors used for this purpose are selected based on their importance in providing and sustaining the required SoS capability. A new index of priority is introduced and utilized in this methodology to compare candidate systems, in terms of their assigned mission priority, with respect to the SoS mission priority, as well as their contribution to the SoS mission.