A system of systems

From concept to build to future aspirations, Siemens Digital Industries Software’s vice-president of Aerospace and Defence Industry, Dale Tutt looks at how best to fulfilling the vision of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE).

As product complexity and competition intensify throughout our industry, many of the traditional practices and processes from early concept design through building and testing to product support, unfortunately, no longer suffice. Up until now we’ve used a systems engineering approach that relies heavily on document-based processes, and I’m sure many of you have of examples on how you’re using this type of approach today.

What’s happening is we are now in a period of intense innovation, and with many new entrants in the marketplace, companies are under tremendous pressure to get to market faster with safe and reliable products while reducing programme cost. Many of the practices that worked 20 years ago have not kept up with the times. The industry is dealing with increased product complexity, more electrification to deliver new mission capabilities and greener solutions, supplier relationships that stretch across the globe and stricter compliance when it comes to regulatory agencies. To compete successfully, companies are no longer looking to bend the cost curve, they’re determined to break it. So how does this happen?

New approach needed

Companies implementing a systems engineering approach struggle when they rely on document-based systems. One set of requirements might be in one database, system modelling might be in Microsoft Visio or SysML tools, system safety analysis might be in various tools and verification and test data might end up in an Excel spreadsheet. Everything's disconnected – and the deliverables look like a document. Much of this activity occurs in isolated workspaces or silos. As new requirements and system models are produced to define larger, more complex systems, document-centric approaches do not scale, and it’s nearly impossible to manage traceability when you’re trying to address tens or hundreds of thousands of interactions.

MBSE is the way forward

Forward-looking companies and businesses that want to stay ahead of the curve are moving towards model-based system engineering (MBSE). MBSE is growing in popularity because it’s a more disciplined approach to systems engineering. It brings a new level of integration and efficiency to complex systems and processes across the many multi-domain challenges aircraft manufacturers use today. When companies move to a MBSE approach they are able to collaborate more easily across domains and throughout their entire supply chain.

It’s important to realise that a more robust MBSE approach is much more than functional or logical modelling. It is built as a digital thread (MBSE digital thread) and serves as the ‘digital backbone’ which unites engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and programme management activities. A digital thread is a composite of interwoven and interconnected digital strands, creating an ecosystem for programme execution excellence.

Achieving digital transformation

The MBSE digital thread creates a model-based systems engineering process that connects multiple domains within the digital enterprise. In addition to the MBSE digital thread, there are additional digital threads from each of the essential domains as seen in Figure 1.

Through the tight integration of this MBSE digital thread, teams from these domains can test and push the boundaries – without jeopardising downstream work or timelines. When companies transition from system modelling to a digital thread approach, they are able to leverage an open ecosystem that enables the usage of any system modelling tool, and connect to the entire lifecycle of data and information needed to certify, deliver and maintain new products.

These digitally connected domains include: Programme management – Manages data interactions across the value chain providing information that that can help identify risk and opportunity; Product design and engineering – Brings together all the varied disciplines with an integrated set of CAD/CAM/CAE development tools. Pushes through iterations of concept and design in weeks or months – rather than years; Verification management – Enables underlying capabilities including verification and validation and facilitates regulatory certification. All the design, analysis, virtual and physical test attributes are synchronised with one another; Supplier management – Manages data interactions across the value chain, using a model-based process to improve collaboration. Users coordinate, manage and secure information across all stages of the product lifecycle, protecting the data rights of everyone involved; Intelligent manufacturing – Moves a company towards a fully integrated factory, seamlessly transitioning engineering design to manufacturing planning. Companies can optimise a factory layout, evaluate new processes and apply automation — all before a single wall goes up. Teams can ‘see’ before they ‘do’, resulting in cost savings, time savings, and overall production savings; Product support – Gives OEMs and their customers a means to understand total cost of ownership – the information needed to keep a finished product in use and in prime operating condition.

From the conceptual design through to service, you want all pertinent data to be easily accessible. And that's what I mean by a comprehensive digital thread. It needs to work for everybody – regardless of a user’s preference for a certain tool – and it should built on a flexible and open ecosystem that can accommodate a variety of tools for requirements and system modelling while ensuring that customers are able to carry their architecture and legacy tools forward as they develop their MBSE capability.

Time to make your move

Many in the industry believe requirements engineering or system modelling is MBSE. To some extent this is true. But MBSE is much more. It’s also system safety, software engineering, verification – all linked closely to product design, optimisation, manufacturing and product support.

A&D companies implementing the Siemens MBSE digital thread are accelerating product development. They are moving faster than the competition and meeting programme budget guidelines. They are reducing the risk of design changes. And when there's a change (you know there will always be the last-minute or unexpected change) teams have a better understanding of how to make that change and the ripple effect that change might have – not only as it applies to current operations, but how it might apply to a future build not yet even dreamed.

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