3 The Common Denominator

This paper presents the systems engineering methodology in use at Lockheed Martin Federal Systems (LMFS) in Owego, New York. This LMFS-Owego methodology has evolved over a fifteen-year period, through evaluation, selection, and synthesis of many successful techniques used for systems analysis and design. The most recent enhancement to the methodology is the Operational Description Template, which serves as a common denominator for optimal systems development. We discuss the problem that the methodology addresses, overview the process to which the methodology is applied, describe the methodology, and discuss initial results of the application of this method.