No child left behind: managing requirements, interfaces, and communication in high-impact projects

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is a world-leading facility located at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory that constantly pushes the boundaries of science and technology. To stay at the frontier, we must continuously upgrade and evolve our instruments and control systems — which means tackling new projects, new capabilities, and, most importantly, new requirements. This talk will outline how the LCLS Experiment Control Systems (ECS) team works closely with stakeholders across LCLS, SLAC, and the project teams to define, capture, and manage requirements and interfaces for major projects like LCLS-II-HE and MEC-U. This talk will highlight the processes developed by our LCLS System Engineering Team and how ECS executes them to bring clarity and structure to our collaborations, as well as how we are leveraging Jama Connect as our central platform for capturing, reviewing, and refining these critical project elements. By standardizing our approach and tools, we are building a stronger foundation for today’s upgrades and tomorrow’s innovations.