A Systems Modeling Illustration of the Military Academy Doolie Cadet System

Systems engineering process models provide the framework for visualizing and organizing a system life cycle guiding its design and development. The systems engineering Vee process model is ubiquitous for describing systems. It is the most widely used and often tailored for specific system types. This paper models the doolie cadet as a system of interest using the Vee model. The term doolie refers to a freshman at the United States Air Force Academy. The doolie year is a rigorous year with difficult requirements to complete the transformation of high school graduates into disciplined military academy cadets. This work describes the challenges associated with the doolie year and models the doolie cadet as a system of interest using the systems engineering Vee model. Beginning with decomposition along the left side of the Vee, requirements, subsystems, and components that need to be assessed for an evaluation of performance are identified, progressing up the right side of the Vee; this work details verification events such as exams, athletic assessments, and military tests and training. These events validate the system, demonstrating that the doolie cadet is proficient and ready for acceptance into the cadet wing. This work contributes a new perspective on modeling human performance as a system of interest and new insights into uses of the systems engineering Vee model.