SeaPort-e:

Elusive Solutions is a SeaPort Enhanced Veteran-Owned Small Business prime in Zones 2 and 3.

Team Members:

Our current team members include:
 Partner  Website  Experience  Contact
 none currently
       

Experience:

Elusive Solutions has provided, since incorporation in 2008, engineering and analytical services in a broad range of disciplines, spanning product research and technology development, through validation, test, and evaluation, to field introduction, training, and support. Our experience is shown in the following work elements:

Engineering, System Engineering, and Process Engineering Support

The ESI staff excels in Engineering and Systems Engineering, specifically, Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE). Utilizing state-of-the-art tools and techniques pioneered by our staff, we have demonstrated an ability to analyze, evaluate, and consolidate data from multiple disparate sources to effectively develop concordant Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) Version 1.5 and 2.0 viewpoints and other required technical drawings, visualizations, and documentation, supporting all phases and processes necessary to establish and execute Science and Technology (S&T) initiatives and Programs of Record (PoR). This is accomplished through our Rapid Architecture Integrated Development Environment (RAIDE), a collection of engineering and visualization tools used to support engineering and development of complex architectures, capabilities, and systems.

Modeling, Simulation, Stimulation, and Analysis Support

Our ESI staff designed, developed, and maintains a series of analysis tools with a primary emphasis on visualizing Aegis AN/SPY-1 radar data. This includes developing a graphical front end for use with existing command-line scripted tools. We developed and maintain plotting tools that display radar track data, providing complex coloring and filtering within the graphical plot for easy data interpretation. For simulation support, our engineers developed tools that produce a simulation file from live AN/SPY-1 radar data for use with a Naval Research Lab (NRL) 3-D visualization and analysis tool that provides high-fidelity analysis and display of test and training mission data with the unique capability for two and three dimensional interactive data display and analysis. Our modeling, simulation, and analysis support also includes maintenance of numerous tools and utilities that assist users in reading complex radar data into necessary formats. These are focused on managing large volumes of data and providing a means for archival storage.

Additionally, ESI’s engineering staff is trained and proficient in the use of the Rockwell Automation® Arena® simulation software, used to demonstrate, predict, and measure system strategies for effective, efficient, and optimized performance. 

Prototyping, Pre-Production, Model-Making, and Fabrication Support

As demonstrated in numerous prototypes and small production developments, ESI personnel are experienced in prototyping, pre-production design, and fabrication of both electrical and mechanical components and systems. This includes hardware development, prototyping, and integration of system and components into a cohesive capability, and the evaluation of metrics such as size, weight, power, and processing as appropriate to resolve design alternatives and develop preliminary and production designs. Once design is complete, we have utilized databases and tracking tools to maintain configuration control of design artifacts.  When necessary, we have developed modifications to existing systems to enhance performance and have conducted research to identify replacement components when confronted with obsolescence or reliability issues.

In support of hardware development, ESI maintains modern design tools including Dassault Systems SolidWorks® Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) for 2D and 3D solid surface and wire frame modeling, and Altium Designer® for printed circuit board design and layout. These tools support not only active visualization of a part of the entire assembly as it is being created, but also facilitates real-time physical changes to parts, surfaces, mating surfaces, connections, and multi-part assemblies. These tools allow the output of drawings and component listings, supporting configuration management needs and technical data package development. These applications provide additional capabilities to conduct pre-fabrication, static and dynamic stress, thermal, vibration, motion, flow, and electromagnetic effects analysis.

System Design Documentation and Technical Data Support

ESI maintains data and configuration management tools and resources to develop, store, manage, and track project plans, technical documentation, training and tactics materials, reports, briefs, and support materials. This includes configuration control over engineering change proposals, budgetary estimates and life cycle cost data, test plans and procedures, and maintenance documentation, drawings, and installation instructions. Our staff also has experience with graphical illustration, standard and high definition imagery and motion video capture & editing, high-speed video, and data acquistion tools. As plethora of proprietary and open-sourced software tools are available for our staff to utilize, highlighted items we maintain include:
  • Microsoft® Office, Project, Visio®, MSDN®
  • Sony® Vegas™, DVD Architect™, SoundForge®
  • Adobe® Acrobat®, Photoshop®, Illustrator®, Premiere®
  • Dassault Systèmes Solidworks®
  • Altium® Designer
  • Vitech® Corporation CORE® Spectrum
  • Rockwell Automation Arena®
  • Sparx® Systems Enterprise Architect™
  • VMWare® Workstation
  • Visual Paradigm® Visual Paradigm for UML®
  • IBM® Rational® System Architect®
  • Relex® Reliability Studio (now PTC® Windchill® Quality Solutions)
Software Engineering, Development, Programming, and Network Support

Our staff is experienced in development, review, and analysis of software design, evaluating requirements, requirement synthesis, and traceability. Our software engineering personnel have supported performance assessment and analysis of existing hardware and software systems including analysis of source code for compliance with industry coding standards and best practices, and consistency with defined requirements.  Though familiar with the processes, due to our size, ESI does not possess a Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model (CMM) certification. We have developed Unified Modeling Language (UML) compliant software representations and have demonstrated the ability to interchange systems engineering data with the UML models, and resulting source code, providing a complete traceability from originating top-level capability requirements to implementation in software.

Our team is highly experienced in the use of automation in the derivation of requirements, using parsing tools and developing associated programs and scripts to map system requirements to software functionality and components. Moving beyond requirements development, we execute industry accepted best practices using the latest Unified Modeling Language (UML) standard notation with tools such as Visual Paradigm, System Architect, and the Microsoft Development Network (MSDN) tools for development in a variety of software languages including C, C++, C#, and Java. When coupled with our industry leading MBSE processes, a superior consistent and managed integrated product results.


Reliability, Maintainability, and Availability (RM&A) Support

ESI understands the importance and relevance of integrated logistic support and its reliability component as part of our overall effort to design systems and capabilities, and develop technologies and systems based on established government and industry standards and references. Our professional staff has experience in developing integrated logistic support plans, conducting of essential analysis of manpower, fielding, and supporting maintenance concept development. We utilize reliability modeling as a reference using the Relex® Reliability Studio suite of tools to conduct analysis and logistic support studies.   We are experienced in:

  • Reliability, Maintainability, and Availability (RM&A)
  • Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA)
  • Level of Repair Analysis (LORA) and Logistics Management Information (LMI) Maintenance Planning Analysis
  • Failure Reporting and Corrective Action System (FRACAS)
  • Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) Support Equipment Needs Analysis including General Purpose (GP) and Special Purpose (SP) Electronic Test Equipment Requirements List
  • Supply Support Requirements including Associated Support Items of Equipment (ASIOE)
  • Evaluating Manpower, Personnel, and Training Requirements
  • Establishing Packaging, Handling, Storage, and Transportation (PHS&T) Requirements
  • Configuration Management (CM) planning including Item Unique Identification (IUID)
  • Product Technical Data Package (TDP) preparation
  • Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Manuals
  • Programmatic Environmental Safety and Occupational Health Evaluation (PESHE)
Human Factors, Performance, and Usability Engineering Support

ESI personnel provide Human System Integration (HSI) and engineering support to NSWC CDSA Dam Neck, specifically examining new and emerging capabilities and revisions to operator displays and controls. This includes serving on the SSDS Tactical Advisory Working Groups (TAWG) and Doctrine Development working groups to improve SSDS employment against evolving threats. In these venues, our support includes analysis of requisite user training and skills versus displays and controls to identify implementations mechanisms to reduce user errors, improve safety, and improve efficiency through streamlined workflows.

Quality Assurance (QA) Support

ESI has supported quality assurance monitoring through review and evaluation of delivered products including documentation and specifications, software source and executable code, examination of products during the production process for adherence to required standards, contracted data item descriptions (DID), and industry best practices. We have worked with design agents and program management to define suitable standards and metrics for tracking compliance and have conducted cause and effect analysis to identify areas for quality improvement and risk reduction. Our staff has conducted Physical Configuration Audits (PCA), verifying drawings and documents faithfully represent the produced design.

Information System (IS) Development, Information Assurance (IA), and Information Technology (IT) Support

ESI has extensive IT experience. We have developed and maintain Local and Wide Area Networks (LAN/WAN) including wireless, are experienced at access controlled website development and hosting with intrusion monitoring and safeguarding for Information Assurance (IA), and deployment of system engineering and software models for web-based review from our system engineering data repository. We are experienced in maintenance and repair of all associated components, hardware, and software. Additionally we are experienced with the data artifacts and processes necessary to obtain a System Security Authorization Agreement (SSAA) and Platform Information Technology (PIT) Risk Approval (PRA).

Interoperability, Test and Evaluation, Trials Support

Our team has extensive experience in test and evaluation planning and execution, encompassing all phases of capability and system development, including laboratory, system design and development, post-delivery Formal and System Qualification Tests (FQT/SQT), and Developmental and Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E). We have developed test methodologies and schemes to evaluate system performance, incorporating applicable test standards, checklists, and validation criteria necessary to assess and/or evaluate critical performance. Our team’s experience includes the full range of equipment/hardware military environmental certifications, including MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-461F. We are experienced in the development and use of data extraction tools, collection, storage and post-test reduction/analysis systems and devices, including RF/microwave test equipment, video media (high-speed and standard), and environmental/atmospheric measuring devices. Our staff includes individuals with extensive experience in planning and executing System Verification and Validation (SV&V) testing on a wide variety of systems and capabilities. These include both tactical and non-tactical systems, ranging from small hand-held devices, to large, complex Navy shipboard systems.

Training Support

ESI personnel are experienced in all aspects of instructional and training system development for maintenance and operator training curriculums, as well as possessing vast experience in conducting formal classroom and field training. This experience ranges from training needs analysis in the initial development of formal training curriculum, to development of materials for instruction. Our staff has conducted training start-up planning and executed initial analysis and curriculum development, beginning with the systematic performance of Job Task Analysis (JTA) and associated development of detailed Course Curriculum Outlines (CCO) and required training materials, including Lesson Topic Guides (LTG) and Student Guides (SG). 

We are experienced in developing interim training as part of rapid fielding initiatives and prototype deployment where we have developed outlines for, and executed, multi-day instruction, including classroom and field or laboratory training. To this end, ESI personnel are skilled in the use of multi-media tools and devices with extensive experience in the capture, editing, and production of digital still and full motion video, including high-speed imagery for use in instructional materials. These tools have been used in the development of user Quick Reference Guides (QRG), Graphical Training Aids (GTA), draft Operations and Maintenance (O&M) manuals, and special instructional cards. Additionally, our team has developed Interactive Courseware (ICW) for embedded Computer-Based Training (CBT) and incorporation into Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETM), and has developed methodologies, workflows, and integration strategies for small-scale computer system training initiatives.

ESI’s staff is experienced in the development of Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) and has demonstrated an ability to develop accurate and relevant procedures concurrent with rapid development. In each case, documentation was prepared and presented to user communities of interest for adjudication including both civilian and military personnel. Our experience includes development of complete documents as well as revising Tactical Memoranda (TACMEMO). 

Among our staff are individuals with education degrees and with military experience in technical training areas of operations, maintenance, and repair. Many are certified as Navy Master Training Specialists and Course Curriculum Developers and Model Managers.

In-Service Engineering, Fleet Introduction, Installation, and Checkout Support

ESI personnel support in-service surface search radar systems as well as planned product upgrades for the AN/SPS-48 series radar systems. In this role, our staff reviews system trouble reports as submitted, conducting cause and effect and reliability trend analysis. In support of the AN/SPS-48G development, we provide operator and maintenance analysis, reviewing proposed maintenance processes and concepts for consistency with user prerequisites and training plans.

Program Support

ESI personnel have extensive experience in development of Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&M), establishment of Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) and program management support and tracking mechanisms including financial accounting, and resource and staffing plans. Our staff is experienced in processes and procedures typical for program-level reviews including In-Process Review (IPR), Preliminary and Critical Design Review (P/CDR), Test Readiness Reviews (TRR) and more. We have provided tracking mechanisms for action items, prepared and presented position papers, conducted special studies, and developed all manner of presentation materials and plans. We have authored and/or contributed to numerous program plans including:

  • Test and Evaluation Master Plan
  • System Engineering Plan
  • System Safety Program Plan
  • Hazardous Materials Management Program Plan
  • Programmatic Environment Safety and Occupation Health Evaluation Plan
  • Risk Management Plan
  • Software Sustainment and Support Plan
Contact:

The Point of Contact for information relating to the SeaPort program and customer satisfaction is:
Stuart A. Bunch
8273 Hoover Drive
King George, VA 2248
andy @ elusivesolutions.com


Quality:

Quality performance and quality assurance is fundamental to ESI. Our Quality Assurance Plan and Processes are directed toward formally delivered products, informally delivered products, the processes employed to produce products and services, corrective procedures, and preventative measures. First and foremost, we strive to understand our customer’s needs and problems. We then work to develop the best solutions. Essential to quality is:
  • Sound engineering practices
  • Task commitment and focus
  • Mastery of details
  • Processes sufficiently defined to be replicable and testable
  • Recognition of what is fact, what is a matter of probability, and what is conjecture
  • Alternatives sought and considered
  • Teamwork to bring in broader perspective, timeliness, within-budget deliveries and solutions that work

Awards:

The following Task Orders have been awarded: