Skip to main content

Strategy Bridge

Systems Engineering Glossary

Term Definition
In Scope

Something that is within the boundaries of a contract or other agreement.

Incremental Development

A phased life cycle approach that involves planned partial system implementation followed by adding increased capabilities until the system fully meets its specifications.

Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V)

An independent review performed by an organization that is not under purview of the development organization, to ensure a product can or will meet requirements.

Infrastructure

The system’s supporting environment and facilities.

Initial Operational Capability (IOC)

The first attainment of an agreed definition of minimum system performance in its operational environment.

Inspection

A verification technique involving visual examination or measurement of product characteristics or the review of design, production, or test documentation to determine compliance with requirements.

Integrated Product Team (IPT)

Multi-disciplinary and cross-organizational teams used to enable a systematic approach to the integrated, concurrent design of products and their related processes.

Integration

The process of combining two or more system entities into a single entity at a specified level of the system hierarchy.

Interdependencies

The relationships among milestones and/ or activities that affect other milestones.

Interface

The characteristics that are required to form the boundary between entities.

Interface Controlled Document (ICD)

A controlled specification that describes the physical, functional, logical, and electrical characteristics that an entity uses to communicate with its environment.

Interface Requirement

A statement of the functional, physical, logical, and electrical constraints that exist between multiple entities that describe how they fit together.

Interoperability

The ability of a system or its parts to exchange services or data with other systems.