Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 112-115). / Japanese construction industry is currently struggling with technology development due to the resisting forces against introducing and developing new technologies into the construction sites. In order to analyze the current situation and develop the potential preferred architecture, ARIES, a system architecting framework is applied to the construction project team as the targeted enterprise in this research. First, the current architecture of the enterprise is analyzed from ten elements including landscape and stakeholder. While many ecosystem factors are driving technology development, it was made clear that the weak relationship of the construction project team with the leading-edge technology suppliers led to the team's lack of knowledge and information about new technologies, resulting in generating the resisting forces against introducing new technologies. / After analyzing the current situation, the envisioned future was created based on the capability of both the company and the construction project team. Second, in order to generate novel ideas about the alternative architectures, case studies of different industries were performed, where the importance of taking into account the supplier's needs and communicating continually with the workers on site was identified. After several alternative architectures were generated and evaluated by an unweighted decision matrix, the combined architecture consisting of the connecting platform and the on-site events was selected as the future architecture. Finally, based on the risk assessment, the detailed architecture and the implementation plan were developed, which have an emphasis on interaction between the connecting platform and the on-site events. / ARIES framework was applied to this research effectively in that both the current and future architecture of the enterprise were analyzed, evaluated, and validated from a holistic point of view. In addition, this research gave a valuable insight that interaction among multiple sub-systems is important for the entire system to work successfully. Considering that the research was performed by a single person, the author, the future work would be discussing the proposed architecture with other multiple members to improve it. / by Hiroyuki Ikukawa. / S.M. in Engineering and Management / S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Vita. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 85-87). / With the competitive landscape of technology increasing at a rapid pace, medical device manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the demands of the market and provide hardware and software solutions to support connected health technologies. Over the last decade, in an attempt to match the pace of the market, an increasing number of enterprises have shifted their product development processes from traditional stage-gated models to iterative development models, including Agile. Using the architecting innovative enterprise strategy (ARIES) framework, literature reviews, and gathered knowledge from subject matter experts and stakeholders relevant to the enterprise, this thesis explores the benefits, challenges, and impact of transforming a medical device enterprise's product development process from waterfall to Agile methodologies. The interfaces of the enterprise within both its internal and external ecosystems were assessed in this research; due to the complexity of the medical device industry, stakeholder analysis was used as a tool to identify and prioritize the key interfaces which are critical for a successful enterprise transformation. Approaching the challenge of imposing organizational change in a systems manner ensures that the enterprise and the environment within which it operates are viewed in a holistic sense and that the proposed solution(s) satisfy key beneficiaries and stakeholders. The research demonstrates that the voice of the project team, cross-functional team alignment, and support and empowerment of senior management are crucial to the success of this transformation and ultimately will impact the ability of the enterprise to meet their objectives and sustain their envisioned future. / by Arlesa E. Hubbard. / S.M. in Engineering and Management / S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 75-83). / The Commercial UAS industry is relatively new and has significant growth potential as new technology are incorporated into it, new applications are found, and new regulations are coming in place. Digital Framework, also a relatively new concept, has found acceptance in various industry but has not yet been applied to Commercial UAS while having great potential. This thesis uses the ARIES framework to investigates how this concept can be applied to Commercial UAS, the possible applications and architecture. Towards this end, a study of the enterprise landscape and a stakeholder analysis are conducted. Next the current architecture of the Commercial UAS is identified. From this understanding, a possible future is identified and possible applications from integrating Digital Framework into Commercial UAS are identified. Finally, an architecture for the future UAS was proposed and four possible architectures that incorporated a Digital Framework into Commercial UAS were identified. / by Kautilya Vemulapalli. / S.M. in Engineering and Management / S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 49-50). / Companies in highly competitive industries often develop incremental products to meet diverse customer needs or to gain share from competitors. However, in order to help customers to choose between derivatives, companies also present more detailed product specifications or features to their customers, resulting in customer confusion. We categorized customer confusion into three facets: product overlap, ambiguous needs, and information overload and discussed each confusion in three case studies. This thesis presents a theory of mental models for companies facing this issue, and uses three case studies to examine the issue : Groceries (Trader Joes), Wearable Devices (Fitbit), and Semiconductor (Texas Instruments). We conclude that product ambiguity is the dominant type of customer confusion in the grocery retail industry. Trader Joe's has adopted the no sale strategy to mitigate this effect. We identify information overload as the most significant concern in wearable devices from the Fitbit case, where online user reviews supplement specification information. Finally, we find that contextual ambiguity is a huge problem for the customers in the semiconductor industry. Several strategies such as customer support and enhanced web content are identified to reduce this ambiguity. We propose three system diagrams showing how company strategies affect customer confusion regarding different levels of product knowledge and ability to acquire new knowledge. The diagrams shed light on how sales support could intervene effectively, based on the customer type and confusion type. / by Po-Hsuan Fang. / S.M. in Engineering and Management / S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program

This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 103-105). / The purpose of this thesis is to measure the user experience (UX) level of operating computer systems built in the Central Bank of Mexico. The user experience is subjective and depends on a user's interaction with the ergonomic and hedonic qualities of a product, service, or system. A user experience framework based on the literature review was proposed. This framework was used to decompose the user experience into ergonomic, hedonic, and appeal attributes, which were used to measure the UX level of the Bank's operating computer systems. Two surveys, one for systems' users and one for systems' developers were applied in the Bank in order to collect their opinions regarding the different UX attributes (variables) of systems on a seven-point scale that made use of semantic differential (polar adjectives) technique. The survey results were analyzed in order to identify UX opportunity areas by category of systems, as well as by UX variable. Differences among the opinions between users and developers regarding the UX level of systems were found. A strongly positive correlation between the UX level (UX index) determined through the ergonomic and hedonic variables, and the appeal (Appeal index), was found. Finally, the spotted UX opportunity areas are discussed. / by Jonathan Laguna Flores. / S.M. in Engineering and Management / S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 123-128). / Recent cyber-physical attacks, such as Stuxnet, Triton etc., have invoked an ominous realization about the lethality of such attacks and the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, including power, gas and water distribution control systems. The traditional industrial practice to enhance security posture by utilizing IT security-biased protection methods narrowly focuses on improving cyber hygiene and individual component protection. Albeit essential and a good countermeasure against indiscriminate, non-targeted attacks, the reality of modern industrial control systems is that they are highly complex, interdependent and software-intensive sociotechnical systems. This makes traditional methods of defense largely impotent in the face of targeted attacks by advanced cyber-adversaries - as was demonstrated by Stuxnet. / A new realization is aggressively permeating through the industry about the need to use a holistic approach that integrates safety and security considerations to rethink, reengineer and redesign these complex control systems. System-Theoretic Accident Model & Processes (STAMP) offers a powerful, holistic, structured framework to analyze safety and security of complex cyber-physical systems in an integrated fashion. The electric grid is universally acknowledged as the holy grail of a target for an advanced cyberadversary. In light of this, this work demonstrates the use of a STAMP-based analysis method on the electric generation and distribution system of the MIT central utilities plant. The analysis is presented in a robust and structured format which can be emulated to analyze larger systems. / Several hazardous control actions such as out-of-sync breaker closure, generator overfluxing, turbine overspeed etc., are identified which could be exploited to cause permanent physical damage to the plant. While traditional counter-measures exist, it is argued that they need to be rethought in the face of potential cyber-attacks by advanced adversaries. Finally, several new functional requirements are presented which do not only span individual technical components but also the broader socio-organizational system. / by Shaharyar Khan. / S.M. in Engineering and Management / S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 80-81). / In a dynamic, uncertain environment where flexibility and responsiveness are key, companies are trying to adapt. In their quest for agility, they adopt new processes but also new architecture principles. Among them, Service-Oriented Architecture was meant to allow enterprise systems to become modular. Enhanced modularity would in turn lead to better agility. Yet the correlation between SOA adoption and improved agility performance remains to be seen. Breaking down systems into services is indeed not enough to achieve modularity. This research explores the effects of the structural complexity of composition of services on their performances and capacity to evolve. It does it by conducting a multi-case study on a set of web services responsible for complex tasks in a large and complex system. Drawing from the existing literature, structural complexity is broken down in two dimensions: components and interactions complexities. The effects of both dimensions are studied. While this thesis could not prove a direct effect of structural complexity on robustness and time to deliver, it shows strong evidence of an adverse effect of structural complexity on response time, coordination needs and ability to understand the system. This thesis also looks at the design decisions that can lead to complexity, proposes an enhancement of the structural complexity computation by looking at shared data and suggests conceptual integrity as a necessary complement to a pure structural analysis. The paper concludes with suggestions for potential future research. / by Martin Jouvenot. / S.M. in Engineering and Management / S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 105-110). / It has become common place to hear of data breaches. Typically, we hear of external hackers as the perpetrators, however, the reality is there is a high frequency of threats from insiders within an organization and that the cost and challenge in detecting these threats is considerable. The issue has affected companies in multiple private sectors (finance, retail) and the public sector is also at risk as apparent with the Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning cases. This thesis explores the current space of insider threats in terms of frequency, cost and complexity in attack assessment. It also explores the multiple perspectives and stakeholders that make up the complex insider threat systems. Insights from multiple insider threat cases as well as subject matter experts in cyber security were used to model and pinpoint the high value metrics around access management and logging that will aid audit efforts. Following this an exploration of kill chains, blockchain technology and hierarchical organization exploration is made. Research findings highlight the wide reach of excessive privileges and the crucial role resource access and event logging of stakeholder actions plays in the success of insider threat prevention. In response to this finding a proposal is made for a combined solution that aims to provide an easy and accessible interface for searching and requesting access to resources that scales with an organization. This proposal suggests the capitalization of the transparent and immutable properties of blockchain to ledger the requesting and approval of file access through dynamic and multi user approval logic. The solution combines simplistic file-based resource access in an accessible manner with a multi layered security approach that adds further hurdles for bad actors but provides a visible and reliable look back on an immutable audit path. / by Nana Essilfie-Conduah. / S.M. in Engineering and Management / S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 75-77). / This thesis documents the process of invention and design of on-patient encoding of medical information. The work is demonstrated through the development of a prototype medical device system that addresses clinically observed issues associated with dialysis treatment for patients afflicted with kidney failure. Implemented as a temporary tattoo, the medical system is intended to be widely deployable in a variety of settings for a myriad of populations, including developed and emerging medical communities, in-clinic or at-home, and across a spectrum of human skin tones. Addressing hemodialysis challenges is important because, if one's kidneys fail, the ideal option is to receive a transplant, though for many patients (millions globally), the short-term and often long-term solution must be hemodialysis. Through this treatment, a patient regularly has large needles inserted into his or her arm through which the blood is pumped into an artificial kidney machine. / This must be done several times each week for four to eight hours at a time, often in a clinic though ideally (albeit uncommonly) at patients' homes. Presented is the development process of problem identification, concept generation, testing, and prototyping of image guidance systems for hemodialysis needle insertion. This serves to curb fear so patients and caregivers experience improved key performance indicators including: -- Less Pain - Fewer needle 'mis-sticks' -- Quicker Learning - Shortened treatment training time -- Simpler Treatment - Reduced dependence on one or more caregivers when cannulating -- Improved Access to Care - Designed for a broad range of patients. The project involves infrared illumination of hemoglobin, undistortion and mapping of vein images, and special ink chemistry based on temporary tattoos. The results of this project are intended to lay the engineering, business, and design groundwork for a Class 11 product and service suite consisting of: -- / A vein mapper: a device consisting of an infrared vein illuminator (hardware) and real-time optical enhancement (software). -- An indelible dye: a mixture that stains immediately, resists clinical washing, and persists for days -- A cannulation key: a process by which an inkjet printer is used to produce a vein map guide that is then transferred onto a patient's arm. / by Jonathan Blair Miller. / S.M. in Engineering and Management / S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 101-114). / Cisco's security business segment with over $2 billion in revenue in fiscal 2018, makes Cisco one of the largest enterprise security players in the market. It is also one of the fastest growing business segments for Cisco, with last five years' CAGR at 12%. While this growth rate is in line with the estimated CAGR for cybersecurity market growth between 2018 - 2022, another leading incumbent's growth rate shows there is an opportunity to grow even faster. What can Cisco do to accelerate its security business group's growth and, more broadly, how can Cisco maintain its leadership position in a rapidly evolving and highly fragmented cybersecurity market? The goal of this thesis is two folds: first, is to discover the emerging cybersecurity needs for enterprises under the dynamic threat landscape in mobile, cloud-era, and the resultant growth opportunities and challenges these present to Cisco's security business group. Second, is to discover the main elements of Cisco security business group's current growth strategies and to evaluate platform thinking as a potential growth strategy for Cisco's Cloud Security business. We find Cisco Umbrella, a recently launched cloud security offering exhibits potential to become a foundation for Cisco Cloud Security as an open platform ecosystem. We conclude by discussing a potential future platform direction for Cisco Umbrella and raise follow-on questions for further consideration. / by Apoorva Parikh. / S.M. in Engineering and Management / S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program