ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEFENSE OF DISSERTATION RESEARCH
The faculty of the Engineering Management and Systems Engineering department is pleased to issue an invitation to Ms. Rafiatou Soule’s defense of the research conducted for her dissertation.
The defense is open to the public.
Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be provided after.
Date: Friday, March 6th, 2026,
Time: 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: Engineering Systems Building, EMSE Conference Room 2101A
Online Access: Via Zoom Meeting ID: 981 3726 4498 Passcode: 892208
https://odu.zoom.us/j/98137264498?pwd=rB2IWraxbiWbYsqTrJ2hisDKJouUAf.1&from=addon
Doctoral Candidate: Rafiatou Soule
BRIDGING MISSION AND EXECUTION: INTEGRATING PARTICIPATORY DESIGN IN EARLY-PHASE MISSION ENGINEERING FOR STAKEHOLDER ALIGNMENT AND MISSION CLARITY
Director: Barry C. Ezell
Abstract:
This dissertation examines mission framing during the early phase of Mission Engineering. Stakeholder interpretations diverge under ambiguity. Interoperability constraints are often not surfaced early. These conditions reduce mission clarity and weaken mission-to-system mapping readiness. The study integrates a participatory design-inspired, artifact-first workflow with RAG-enabled retrieval from a closed corpus to support evidence-grounded reasoning and traceable citations.
Phase 1 uses an online survey to establish baseline patterns in practice (N = 86). Shared understanding is positively associated with mission clarity (r = 0.60, p < 0.001). Phase 2 uses a time-bounded comparative workshop with two conditions. Expert reviewers rate mission statement quality higher for the participatory design condition (mean 3.5) than the traditional condition (mean 2.8). Technical feasibility ratings are similar across conditions. Phase 3 demonstrates RAG-enabled, closed-corpus, retrieval-supported traceability using the Referencer tool. It is reported as a proof-of-concept for evidence-grounded rationale and auditability, and as a pathway to improved mission clarity and mission-to-system mapping. Benchmark-level retrieval and generation metrics are not claimed.
Overall, the findings support early-phase Mission Engineering as a sociotechnical integration process. The dissertation contributes a construct spine and an artifact-based approach to evaluate mission clarity.
Short Biography:
RAFI SOULE is currently a Project Scientist at the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) at Old Dominion University (ODU). During her doctoral program, she supports a spectrum project and serves as a Model-Based Systems Engineer (MBSE) for the Spectrum Advanced Technology and Training Lab (SATTL) at the Old Dominion University Research Foundation (ODURF). In this role, she leads MBSE and UAF modeling in Cameo Systems Modeler and develops architecture artifacts that strengthen mission alignment and traceability. She also served as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Engineering Management and Systems Engineering department at ODU. Her research focuses on integrating MBSE, Digital Thread, Human-Centered Design, and Participatory Design into early-phase Mission Engineering.