Fault Management Assistant (FMA)

S&K Aerospace (SKA) proposes to develop the Fault Management Assistant (FMA) to aid project managers and fault management engineers in developing better and more cost-effective fault management (FM) for new systems. The Phase I effort involves establishing an FM approach and architecture and designing a tool that supports them. It will also include a feasibility prototype of the tool. The primary source of information for the approach and architecture is the NASA FM Handbook, which represents a collaboration of ideas from a number of NASA and non-NASA centers. SKA also intends to consider risk management, including Risk Informed Decision Making (RIDM) and Continuous Risk Management (CRM). Risk management concepts could help to support the cost-effective allocation of resources to FM options. They should also help with the balancing of costs from development, operations, and adverse outcomes from system failures. A detailed data model will help to ensure that engineers develop a complete description of FM. Specialized views of the FM information will ensure that analyses and questions can be effectively addressed during the course of FM development. SKA intends to build on its success with a risk management system it is currently building for the Human Research Project.

As pressure increases for system autonomy, so does the need for good, cost-effective fault management (FM). FM engineers and project engineers need assistance in building effective FM that is specified completely enough to make costs more predictable during testing and verification phases. The detailed data model at the core of the Fault Management Assistant (FMA) should help to achieve this goal by encouraging more complete FM descriptions from engineers. Developers need assistance in selecting cost effective FM options for each failure. The data model combined with specialized views should provide that assistance. Finally, they need assistance in prioritizing failures to guide FM resource allocation. The detailed data model coupled with specialized views should help with this goal as well. Consequently, this tool should provide valuable assistance to a large number of NASA projects.

The number of non-NASA applications that could benefit from the Fault Management Assistant is almost limitless. Nearly everyone deals with faults and failures and could use assistance in thinking clearly about these issues and managing them effectively and efficiently. Initially, SKA intends to focus on FM objects (system functions, faults, failures, response options, etc.) and the relationships among them. This is where we expect to gain the greatest advantage to a large number of potential customers. Later, SKA intends to explore the direct export and import of data between the Fault Management Assistant and other system engineering tools. Finally, SKA will explore ways to support effective interaction among large numbers of engineers, a capability that can be valuable for very large projects. Everyone who builds complex systems should benefit from using this tool. This includes all branches of the military plus private industries like aeronautics and automotive industries.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.