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Championing Apprenticeships and Diversity

Synoptix — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:33:58 GMT

Championing Apprenticeships and Diversity

Last week, I travelled to London for an MP roundtable discussion with Andrew Pakes and the Association of Apprentices. It was a vital opportunity to bring apprentice voices directly to policymakers and discuss how we can improve the system to better support future generations.

A key focus of the discussion was the recent government reforms to apprenticeships, including:

• The removal of mandatory maths and English resits for some apprentices, which aims to make completing an apprenticeship more accessible.

• The reduction of the minimum apprenticeship length from 12 months to 6 months, raising concerns about whether this could impact training quality.

While these changes are designed to improve accessibility, they also bring challenges. It’s essential to ensure that apprenticeships remain a high-quality route into skilled careers. Shortening the length could risk diluting the learning experience, and while removing barriers like maths and English requirements is beneficial for some, we need to ensure that apprentices still receive the right level of education and support.

The Future of Apprenticeships

At the roundtable, I stressed the importance of mentorship, better career guidance in schools, and employer support. It’s not just about getting more people into apprenticeships—it’s about ensuring they have the right environment to develop, progress, and succeed.

This event reinforced why I’m so passionate about apprenticeships. There’s still a lot of work to do, but through collaboration with employers, educators, and policymakers, we can make apprenticeships a truly accessible and rewarding career path for everyone.

Author - Becky Ridler

Setting up for Success: An ISO 15288 Perspective

Synoptix — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:33:58 GMT

Project delays and overspend make headlines

Another news article brings yet more reports of problems with major engineering projects: delays, cost over-runs and expectations not being delivered. Hinkley Point C is now estimated to cost £46bn with earliest delivery in 2029, £28bn over budget and 4 years late. These recurring themes are frustrating for suppliers and customers alike; with a track record of applying Systems Engineering expertise and capability, SYNOPTIX are positioned to continue helping clients to mitigate adverse effects by identifying and overcoming likely causes before they fester and impact delivery.

Major public-sector projects require high levels of governance and assurance, which are typically audited and reported-on by national auditors. Problems with major projects in the private sector also get reported; with academia studying many with a critical eye to identify lessons learnt. The availability of this information in the public realm and across engineering domains has allowed SYNOPTIX to use our Subject Matter Expert knowledge and thought leadership to correlate effects (both positive and negative) with their causes. The results of this analysis have afforded SYNOPTIX the opportunity to offer clients the benefits of this research and mitigate common risks that are known to negatively impact projects.

System life cycle processes

The benefits of increased Systems Engineering input early in a project lifecycle are well documented, with a correlation linking investment in SE and cost overruns.

Figure 1 - Relation of Systems Engineering Investments to NASA Program Cost Overruns

This paper focusses in more detail around the processes prescribed in ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023(E) (“Systems and software engineering — System life cycle processes”). Through establishing a live database of reports in the public domain, projects have been reviewed from a range of countries (United Kingdom, USA and Australia) across the defence, aerospace, rail and space industries. Where effects were not stated explicitly, engineering judgement was used. These results were compiled into a heatmap with the processes arranged as column and row headers of a matrix in the order of ISO/IEC 15288, starting at the top-left of the heatmap.

Using the 15288 processes allows the relations in Technical, Management and Organisation aspects to be reviewed. This provides an enterprise view rather than focussing on a technical bias, highlighting that risks can occur in one process or group, but impact several others when realised.

ISO:15288 Cause & Effect Heatmap

Where to focus our attention?

With the system lifecycle progressing from left to right, it is observed that most effects manifest towards the end of the lifecycle in the Technical Processes. It is also visible that many of the effects are caused by Organisational and Technical Management processes occurring early on or agnostic of the project lifecycle.

Figure 3 - Distribution of Cause & Effects Across the Lifecycle

The distribution of causes is dominated by the Human Resources Management process in the first half of the lifecycle. It is cautioned that this may be viewed as a red herring amidst an industry wide engineering skills shortage that individual companies will struggle to influence directly. Research suggests the following themes for the Human Resource Management issues:

· Difficulty obtaining people with the necessary skills and experience in sufficient numbers, with several projects vying for the same skills.

· Skill loss resulting from discontinuities between projects in an industry, e.g., shipbuilding.

· Discontinuities in project teams, noted as a consistent issue in MoD projects where military and civilian staff are rotated through projects, taking with them their intrinsic knowledge.

· “Rats leaving a sinking ship”, i.e., once a project starts to flounder, people leave and the project’s reputation makes it less attractive.

As might be expected, failure to understand the needs of the project and the needs of stakeholders are also frequently cited as contributory causes. The correct application of early Validation , ensuring the requirements on which the project is built upon reflect the stakeholder needs, is essential to overcome this.

Knowledge Management is another item of note. There is a key difference between identifying lessons to be learned(lessons-Identified) and correctly applying these in the future. Lessons-identified are only useful if they are reviewed and truly learned from, which experience suggests to SYNOPTIX is not always the case. This is a lesson to be learned in its own right!

How can you overcome these issues?

So, what insight can we take from this? Getting things right and getting them right as early as possible is key. Keeping things right, through the continuous application of processes in ISO/IEC 15288 is essential.

It should be cautioned that these findings do not provide a boiler plate solution to any company, but do highlight common pitfalls to investigate further. Applying the methodology of this study to individual companies and reviews of their own projects, enables SYNOPTIX to provide bespoke and targeted assistance to develop successful process improvements and mitigate risk.

Applied to a single project, the relationships we have uncovered can provide early warning of future hot spots. These findings can also contribute to Organisation improvement. The application of systems thinking across Engineering, Project Management and Commercial functions provides a holistic view of the effects organisational planning and strategy have on projects, translating the processes of ISO 15288 into relatable and familiar narratives for stakeholders.

SYNOPTIX has the expertise to provide capability in client projects and Organisations through a range of techniques and experience developed specifically to mitigate problems by attacking nascent causes. We offer effective technical planning, monitoring and control alongside project management as part of projects, directly or in the form of oversight. At an organisational level we also have experience in defining and implementing Lifecycle Models to improve engineering delivery.

Where Resource is an issue, SYNOPTIX can supply personnel across a wide range of skills and domains. This ranges from insertion of a Subject Matter Expert to resolve a critical isolated issue, to managing wider work packages as a trusted partner. SYNOPTIX has the confidence in our people to underwrite the work you entrust to us – we can take on responsibility of delivery as a company rather than relying on individuals.

By facilitating workshops to identify the needs of the project and stakeholders, SYNOPTIX can give projects the best possible basis on which to build. Through experience, focussing on the key areas of risk allows the provision of tailored approaches and support to ensure project success.

SYNOPTIX also has a pedigree working with academia to develop ‘smart’ knowledge-management tools to continue extracting the maximum possible value from information that would have been costly to develop and difficult to exploit using contemporary toolsets.

Another key mitigation we have observed in recent years is the application of a model-based approach. Leveraging the advantages of SYNOPTIX’s expertise in Model-Based Systems Engineering can help clients move from a document-centric approach (where information is not always consistent across documents or lags the design) to an integrated “single source of truth”, informing decisions and improving planning of downstream activities such as testing.

By Hugh Neve

Synoptix' Lois Chang Achieves Chartership (CEng)

Synoptix — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:33:58 GMT

Synoptix Client Account Manager, Lois Chang, joined Synoptix 18 months ago as a Systems Engineer. Since joining - and as part of her continuing professional development – she has achieved both CSEP (Certified Systems Engineering Professional) and CEng (Chartered Engineer), both through the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE).

As a growing medium-sized specialist engineering company – delivering solutions in Systems Engineering; Cyber and InfoSec; and Technology - Synoptix recognises the importance of supporting and encouraging professional development. This applies from early years (apprentices and graduates) to more experienced professionals. Investing in structured training and professional development supports the learning and growth of Synoptix’ engineers: enabling them to delivery high quality, innovative solutions to clients across multiple domains.

Lois is enthusiastic about the benefits of having achieved Chartered Engineer accreditation: both in ensuring that Synoptix successfully delivers solutions to meet their Clients’ needs and by supporting and encouraging the next generations of Systems Engineers to reach their potential.

Synoptix attended the INCOSE International Symposium in Dublin

Synoptix — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:33:58 GMT

The International Council on Systems Engineering, or INCOSE, holds the largest annual gathering of the systems engineering community worldwide. It’s the INCOSE International Symposium, and this summer’s event in Dublin attracted more than 1,000 attendees representing 42 different countries.

Jack Sutherland (Principal Systems Engineer and Team Lead) attended on behalf of Synoptix. The Symposium gave him a rich opportunity to understand leading trends in the modern day application of SE; strengthen our professional ties and influence within the INCOSE organisation; and connect with international industry/academic colleagues both old and new.

Highlights included topical engagements on:

Risk, uncertainty and complexity science
Data driven and distributed decision making
Working ‘smarter’ in MBSE
Drawing systems engineering inspiration from nature (and understanding positive emergent behaviour)
Embracing AI to enhance systems engineering practice

Jack reflected on his return, “This was an enlightening couple of days with some really thought-provoking content. The evolving practice of SE in our increasingly uncertain, complex and digital world is both a challenging and exciting prospect. It is reassuring that the global engineering problems of tomorrow are exactly what we at Synoptix are positioning ourselves to solve.”

Army Warfighting Experiment

Synoptix — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:33:58 GMT

At the end of last year, we attended the Army Warfighting Experiment (AWE). This British Army programme gathers military, industrial and academic allies and partners to explore how new technologies can modernise and optimise the Army.

This diverse group encourages innovation and constant improvement to software and hardware to keep our Armed Forces at the cutting the edge of warfare while improving safety for our troops.

The most recent experiment, ‘AWE Blunt & Dislocate’, was part of ‘The Urban Series,’ focusing on urban warfare. The four-week event was supported by troops from 2 YORKS and took place at the MoD Copehill Down training facility on Salisbury Plain.

Competition was stiff but Synoptix was selected to showcase our Optimus 360 system, which is a distributed unattended camera system designed to provide a rapidly deployable ‘digital sentry’ to deployed operations.

Employing advanced AI, the system automatically detects, identifies and tracks objects, alerting users to the presence of potential threats. By combining this technology with edge computing, Optimus 360 removes the dependency on high bandwidth communications bearers to distribute video around the battlefield making it more reliable and effective.

Our Participation in AWE Blunt & Dislocate provided invaluable insights into how the Optimus 360 system could be employed and add value to the British Army. These insights are being used to drive the ongoing development of the system, are spawning the integration of new capabilities and are generating early ideas for similar products.

We were pleased that our attendance also meant we could network with other innovative UK suppliers such as Overview and Living Optics.

Insights and networking at Security Cleared EXPO 2024

Synoptix — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:33:58 GMT

Synoptix attended the Security Cleared EXPO recently, held at the Aerospace Bristol venue. This prominent event brings together security-cleared professionals from various sectors who are security cleared, or have been vetted in the past, for recruitment, networking and collaboration.

Most attendees are cleared to DV, SC, CTC, NATO and NPPV levels, so can meet potential employers face-to-face in a secure and relaxed environment.

The Synoptix recruitment team were joined by Andy Richings, our Senior Security Engineer, for a day of insights into industry trends and future developments, as well as of discussions and networking. They found it a great opportunity to connect with professionals from industry, academia and those transitioning from the services.

As Synoptix continues to grow and develop key capability areas, such as cyber security, attendance at these events becomes invaluable.

Synoptix Attends Leicester Innovation Hub 2022

Synoptix — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:33:58 GMT

Our very own Stephen Measures and George Stainsby attended Leicester Innovation Hub for their Innovation Friday event alongside our KTP associate George Leete.

They discussed the research around artificial intelligence that is taking place with the University of Leicester, and how Synoptix are providing systems engineering expertise to the integration of the Optimus system onto the UK rail network.

The Quantum Threat is Coming

Synoptix — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:33:58 GMT

Quantum computing is advancing fast, and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), including space and defence, must prepare now. The challenge? It’s not just about quantum—it’s about cryptographic resilience.

The Problem? Legacy Security is Not Built for the Future

Many CNI systems rely on RSA, ECC, and other asymmetric encryption methods that will be broken by Shor’s Algorithm once large-scale quantum computers become viable. Even symmetric encryption, while more resistant, is not immune—Grover’s Algorithm weakens AES-128, making AES-256 the minimum recommended standard for future security.

The Solution? Quantum-Resistant Cryptographic Agility

Security must be built into system architectures, not bolted on as an afterthought. Cryptographic Agility ensures systems can adapt to evolving cryptographic techniques, including NIST’s post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards:

Kyber (FIPS 203) – Lattice-based key exchange replacement for RSA/ECC.
Dilithium (FIPS 204) & Falcon (FIPS 205) – Post-quantum digital signatures.
AES-256 + SHA-3 – Preferred symmetric cryptography choices to counter quantum brute-force threats.

What Can Be Done Now?

Raise Awareness – Many organisations don’t realise how quantum computing threatens current encryption. Educating leadership, security teams, and policymakers is the first step.

Assess Cryptographic Dependencies – Organisations must identify where they rely on RSA, ECC, and weak symmetric encryption before migration can begin.

Adopt Cryptographic Agility – Systems should be designed with modular, upgradable encryption frameworks that can transition to post-quantum cryptography without a full rebuild.

Test Post-Quantum Security Now – Hybrid approaches, such as Kyber + ECDH for key exchange, can help transition securely without breaking compatibility.

Act Now—Before It’s Too Late

Dr. Sana Belguith (UoB) is leading critical research on quantum-resistant migration strategies for CNI. While no system can be truly quantum-safe, they can be quantum-resistant—buying crucial time before quantum decryption becomes a real-world threat.

The transition to quantum-resistant security cannot wait. Will your systems withstand the future, or will they be left exposed?

Synoptix is proud to be a company partner of the Women’s Engineering Society

Synoptix — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:33:58 GMT

Synoptix is proud to be a company partner of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) and sent two representatives to the Annual Conference in Birmingham (17th-18th April 2024). The two days were filled with insightful talks, panel sessions and networking opportunities, led by a range of inspirational women.

We heard a range of differing experiences and perspectives, for example one speaker converted from engineering to writing children’s books and another had worked on the London Olympic stadiums, plus a presentation from an organisation that helps people get back into STEM following a career break.

One session that our attendees found particularly interesting was held by Emma McCaig, Advanced Technologies Programme Manager at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. In her talk, ‘Is Diversity Key to Winning Every Race?” McCaig highlighted the importance of diversity in the workplace and how it is the key to success. She also discussed how she did not start off as an engineer but managed to work her way into the industry, describing some of the challenges she faced, such as imposter syndrome and working in a male-dominated field.

One of our Project Engineers said: "I found the talks with Emma McCaig and Claire Gott really inspiring and it was very insightful to hear about the work that they are doing within the engineering sector.

SYNOPTIX successfully installed Optimus prototype AI Object Detection System at a Network Rail Level Crossing

Synoptix — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:33:58 GMT

This week SYNOPTIX successfully installed Optimus prototype AI Object Detection System at a Network Rail Level Crossing in the South West region.

Working with our partner; University of Leicester, SYNOPTIX will be trialling the Optimus System continuously over the next 3-4 months to gather and process census data in real-time, with the potential to demonstrate enhanced effectiveness in supporting Network Rail’s objective of reducing risk and improving safety across the UK’s network of Level Crossings and Safety Barriers.