19 March 2026 6:00 PM CST
Overview: Defining Needs and Requirements for Resilient Systems
Presented by: Lou Wheatcraft, Co Chair of RWG
Abstract: Resilience is a fairly new topic in the SE world. As such, few understand the concept and need to address resilience when defining needs and requirements. As a result, most sets of needs and requirements are incomplete in that they do not include specific needs and requirements concerning resilience and loss scenarios when the system is faced with some type of adversity and associated stressors. To be complete, depending on the system and possible adversities, there needs to be needs and requirements included concerning avoiding, withstanding, and recovering from adversity.
The first step is understanding the need to address resilience, then accessing the level of resilience the planned system has currently; doing the analysis concerning what additional needs and requirements need to be added to the sets of needs and requirements that address the most likely adversities that could cause loss of mission or loss of an asset; defining concepts concerning avoidance, withstanding, and recovering from those adversities; defining the needed system capabilities in order for the system to avoid, withstand, and recover from those adversities; get management agreement, budget, and resources needed to implement those capabilities; and then define both design controls (requirements and developers), system design input requirements that will define what the system must do to implement the needed capabilities, as well as operational requirements concerning the users of the system that contribute to the organization and system to avoid, withstand, and recover from adversity and associated stressors.
This presentation addresses the above in practical terms such that the attendees can immediacy apply concepts and do the activities that will help them develop resilient systems.