Transitioning to MBSE in a Large Systems Engineering Organization that Develops Complex Mission System for Helicopters

Transitioning from a Document Based Systems Engineering approach to a Model Based Systems Development (MBSD) approach in a large systems engineering organization with both legacy and start up programs presents a serious challenge. MBSD differs from Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) in that it applies across the design disciplines (SW, I&T, HW, CM). Barriers include concerns about increased cost and schedule to new programs and minimizing impacts to legacy programs with a large investment in non-model based artifacts. In spite of these concerns, future programs will demand a systems engineering environment that enhances the ability of the engineering team to collaborate across both disciples and geography. For this reason Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems and Training (MST) facility in Owego NY, whose primary product includes complex mission systems for manned and unmanned helicopter systems, has begun the transition from a Document Based Approach to a Model Based Approach. Several key goals associated with the transition include providing a turnkey approach to programs, automated generation of systems engineering work products from the model and support for reusable software components. This paper discusses the approach to defining and achieving these goals and provides recommendations for organizations that are interested in transitioning to MBSD.