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Model Based Engineering (MBE) has become the standard across engineering disciplines in product development activities. The application of Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is accelerating because of the contributions that can be gained by adopting MBSE. 

As products increase in complexity and the growing desire for new products from the public accelerates, both Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) and Model Based Engineering (MBE) become codependent for success. Maintaining the provenance of relationships from the highest level of aspirations of product in development down to the individual contributions of the smallest component of the product is essential to remain focused on delivery of the “right thing at the right place at the right cost.” Having a systems focus from the earliest phases of product development allows the enterprise to focus at a level of abstraction – the system – to better scope the work required. Similarly, analysis at the “systems level” maintains focus on ensuring the design intent of the system will be met. 

However, tying together analyses from other models to systems models has been difficult and the iterative nature of product development is often rapidly changing and time-consuming, leaving little time for revisiting and updating existing models. Linking different models of systems design and analysis & simulation while keeping those models updated can provide the foundation for rapid product development without sacrificing quality of work. Enterprises like Ford no longer have the luxury to support isolated early systems engineering activities like conceptual design and simulation or wait for verification and validation of the product until final assembly.

Using MBSE with tools such as ModelCenter offers multi-disciplinary systems design and analysis techniques for different models to be tied to a systems model that otherwise would not happen. A brief glimpse of how ModelCenter is being used at Ford and their plans for the future will be given.