Handling Complexity in System of Systems Projects – Lessons Learned from MBSE Efforts in Border Security Projects

Abstract

Well-established systems engineering approaches are becoming more inadequate as today’s systems are becoming more complex, more global, more COTS/re-use based and more evolving. Increased level of outsourcing, significant amount of subcontractors, more integration than development, reduced project cycles, ecosystem like collaborative developments, software product lines and global development are some of the changes in the project life cycle approaches. By structuring data into views with a common language and format, architecture frameworks can be utilized as tools for managing system complexity. In EADS, both architecture frameworks and MBSE are considered as major areas in the future of contemporary systems engineering practices. In this paper, we share our experiences towards adopting MBSE in border security projects where the role of EADS is the system of systems integrator. From the practitioner’s point of view, lessons learned presented in this paper can help companies to increase the speed of shift from traditional systems engineering approaches to architecture driven, knowledge focused and model-based systems engineering practices.