A formal systems engineering approach in practice: an experience report

Böhm, Wolfgang; Junker, Maximilian; Vogelsang, Andreas; Teufl, Sabine; Pinger, Ralf; Rahn, Karsten

doi:10.1145/2593850.2593856

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Besides these studies on MBSE adoption, several case studies exist on applying model-based techniques to complex systems in different domains (e.g., railway [3], automotive [22], maritime traffic [21]).…”

Section: Background and Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Should I Stay or Should I Go? On Forces that Drive and Prevent MBSE Adoption in the Embedded Systems Industry

Vogelsang

Amorim

Pudlitz

et al. 2017

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

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Context] Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) comprises a set of models and techniques that is often suggested as solution to cope with the challenges of engineering complex systems. Although many practitioners agree with the arguments on the potential benefits of the techniques, companies struggle with the adoption of MBSE. [Goal] In this paper, we investigate the forces that prevent or impede the adoption of MBSE in companies that develop embedded software systems. We contrast the hindering forces with issues and challenges that drive these companies towards introducing MBSE. [Method] Our results are based on 20 interviews with experts from 10 companies. Through exploratory research, we analyze the results by means of thematic coding.[Results] Forces that prevent MBSE adoption mainly relate to immature tooling, uncertainty about the return-on-investment, and fears on migrating existing data and processes. On the other hand, MBSE adoption also has strong drivers and participants have high expectations mainly with respect to managing complexity, adhering to new regulations, and reducing costs. [Conclusions] We conclude that bad experiences and frustration about MBSE adoption originate from false or too high expectations. Nevertheless, companies should not underestimate the necessary efforts for convincing employees and addressing their anxiety.

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Section: Background and Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Should I Stay or Should I Go? On Forces that Drive and Prevent MBSE Adoption in the Embedded Systems Industry

Vogelsang

Amorim

Pudlitz

et al. 2017

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

Self Cite

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“…Questionnaire results for Management group. 11 parts of existing systems from companies (e.g., [20]). Tool vendors usually provide training for the methodology and work-flow to be used with their own products [21].…”

Section: Knowledge Buildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies and Best Practices for Model-Based Systems Engineering Adoption in Embedded Systems Industry

Amorim

Vogelsang

Pudlitz

et al. 2019

2019 IEEE/ACM 41st International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering in Practice (ICSE-SEIP)

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Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) advocates the integrated use of models throughout all development phases of a system development life-cycle. It is also often suggested as a solution to cope with the challenges of engineering complex systems. However, MBSE adoption is no trivial task and companies, especially large ones, struggle to achieve it in a timely and effective way. [Goal] We aim to discover what are the best practices and strategies to implement MBSE in companies that develop embedded software systems. [Method] Using an inductive-deductive research approach, we conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with experts from 10 companies. Further, we analyzed the data and drew some conclusions which were validated by an on-line questionnaire in a triangulation fashion. [Results] Our findings are summarized in an empirically validated list of 18 best practices for MBSE adoption and through a prioritized list of the 5 most important best practices. [Conclusions] Raising engineers' awareness regarding MBSE advantages and acquiring experience through small projects are considered the most important practices to increase the success of MBSE adoption.

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“…the SPES 2020 Methodology [46] and REMsES [10], and in a few studies evaluated with practitioners, e.g. in [8] and [11]. However, the industrial uptake seems to be limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Practical experiences with SPES are reported in [8,11]. In [8], Böhm et al present their experiences with SPES in an industrial project at Siemens. The authors apply SPES to a mature, already running train control system, using a specification of "high quality".…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Use, potential, and showstoppers of models in automotive requirements engineering

2018

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Several studies report that the use of model-centric methods in the automotive domain is widespread and offers several benefits. However, existing work indicates that few modelling frameworks explicitly include requirements engineering (RE), and that natural language descriptions are still the status quo in RE. Therefore, we aim to increase the understanding of current and potential future use of models in RE, with respect to the automotive domain. In this paper, we report our findings from a multiple-case study with two automotive companies, collecting interview data from 14 practitioners. Our results show that models are used for a variety of different purposes during RE in the automotive domain, e.g. to improve communication and to handle complexity. However, these models are often used in an unsystematic fashion and restricted to few experts. A more widespread use of models is prevented by various challenges, most of which align with existing work on model use in a general sense. Furthermore, our results indicate that there are many potential benefits associated with future use of models during RE. Interestingly, existing research does not align well with several of the proposed use cases, e.g. restricting the use of models to informal notations for communication purposes. Based on our findings, we recommend a stronger focus on informal modelling and on using models for multidisciplinary environments. Additionally, we see the need for future work in the area of model use, i.e. information extraction from models by non-expert modellers.

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A formal systems engineering approach in practice: an experience report

Cited by 13 publications

References 9 publications

Should I Stay or Should I Go? On Forces that Drive and Prevent MBSE Adoption in the Embedded Systems Industry

Should I Stay or Should I Go? On Forces that Drive and Prevent MBSE Adoption in the Embedded Systems Industry

Strategies and Best Practices for Model-Based Systems Engineering Adoption in Embedded Systems Industry

Use, potential, and showstoppers of models in automotive requirements engineering

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