Optimizing systems engineering begins with digital transformation – Summary
Systems engineering is changing. Thanks to new tools and technologies such as artificial intelligence and SysML v2, opportunities to build more holistic, interoperable approaches to systems engineering are opening. Industries such as aerospace and defense (A&D) with products that are becoming increasingly complex through the integration of new electronics and software can benefit from this the most, yet some companies in such industries struggle to adopt these kinds of strategies. Why is that, and how can these struggles be overcome?
In the latest episode of Talking Aerospace Today, Todd Tuthill, Vice President of Aerospace, Defense, and Marine for Siemens Digital Industries Software, is joined again by Dale Tutt, Vice President of Industry Strategy for Siemens Digital Industries Software. They conclude their discussion on the evolution of systems engineering in A&D answering this question, pointing to the historical lack of return on investment (ROI) and exploring how a foundation in digital transformation can solve the issue.
Where is the ROI?
According to Todd, the reason for a company’s struggle or reluctance to adopt new systems engineering strategies comes from a lack of return on investment from previous cases. SysML v1, for example created a cottage industry of systems engineers who were really good at creating sophisticated models, with the unintended side effect of creating silos in the development process. In order to create and use these models effectively, one had to have incredibly specialized knowledge, forming a barrier between the rest of the program that made it difficult to show any ROI, discouraging companies from investing in systems engineering further.
Systems engineering is about more than just modeling capability. It exists across the product lifecycle—not just the early stages—and, at its full potential, builds processes and methodologies to develop a wider architecture that helps manage requirements and functions from design to manufacturing to verification and beyond. Expanding systems engineering across the lifecycle and not just among a select group of engineers helps get everyone onboard and makes the ROI more visible
Digital transformation is the first step
Building such a systems engineering strategy, Dale states, requires a strong foundation in product lifecycle management, and that can be found in digital transformation.
The comprehensive digital twin in particular is critical to building the kind of holistic systems engineering Todd and Dale have talked about over the past couple episodes. Companies pursuing these strategies want to incorporate systems and simulation models, increase multi-domain collaboration across electronics, software, mechanical, and more, as well as automate these processes. As the virtual representation of a product across its lifecycle, the comprehensive digital twin provides the framework to do all this and more, bridging the gaps between data silos and ensuring data traceability across all stakeholders of a program.
Additionally, companies can build open data environments and ecosystems that can bring these tools together in a meaningful way, allowing them to see their ROI from both their systems engineering strategies and digital transformation. Once they do this, companies can innovate faster, ensuring they stay competitive among other companies in their respective industries.
The spread of systems engineering
Systems engineering might have been a “cottage industry” as Todd put it once upon a time, the domain of a select few among engineers, but that is clearly changing. In industries such as A&D, new electronics and software systems are interacting with their products at a scale never seen before, drastically increasing product complexity. For Todd, it is becoming clear that aspects of systems engineering are becoming intertwined with all aspects of engineering, and it is crucial that systems engineering strategies start incorporating this interoperability.
Digital transformation is critical to making these new strategies successful. Tools such as the comprehensive digital twin and those accessible through open ecosystems give engineers access to broader information and simulation, giving them better insight into how the parts they are working on affect the product as a whole. Holistic systems engineering strategies, bolstered by digital transformation, can make systems engineering accessible to all engineers, unleashing a new wave of innovation across all industries.
Siemens Digital Industries Software helps organizations of all sizes digitally transform using software, hardware and services from the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. Siemens’ software and the comprehensive digital twin enable companies to optimize their design, engineering and manufacturing processes to turn today’s ideas into the sustainable products of the future. From chips to entire systems, from product to process, across all industries. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Accelerating transformation.
