What Are the Different MBSE Methodologies?

Why do we need a Methodology to start with?

"Nowadays, MBSE is enabled by Systems Modeling Language (SysML). However, SysML is neither a framework nor a method: it provides no information about the modeling process and thus must be combined with some methodology to become truly applicable."  A methodology will give the modeling team a consistent process for how to model their system-of-interest.  This will allow teams to complete their respective subsystem fairly indepandently and have less issues when trying to integrate their subsystem models into the larger system model.  Methodologies typically have some sort of main start here page with steps of modeling tasks to complete and a package structure which will be used for organizing model elements in a particular way.

What are the different MBSE Methodologies?

"Systems engineering community all over the world has acknowledged and currently use numerous MBSE methodologies. MBSE methodologies are solving different tasks of systems engineering process (Dickerson and Mavris, 2009), (Friedenthal et al., 2007). Not only identification and gathering of artefacts in proper sequence is challenging for them. They also need to deal with information complexity issue. Most of the described methodologies use iterations to collect information step by step. However, this doesn't help to identify different levels of abstraction, which may result in model incorrectness or even become a serious obstacle to allocate responsibilities to teams, stakeholders, or contractors."

 "The process for integrated systems development by Harmony can be represented by the classic “V” diagram. The left leg of the “V” describes the top-down design flow, while the right-hand side shows the bottom-up integration phases from unit test to the final system acceptance (Hoffmann, 2011). The workflow is iterative with incremental cycles through the phases of the requirements analysis, system functional analysis, and design synthesis. Models that support the requirements analysis phase are the requirement models and the system use cases model. In the system functional analysis phase, each use case is transformed into an executable model and the related system requirements are verified using model execution. The main executable models in the design synthesis phase are architectural analysis model and system architecture model. Harmony methodology is claimed to be compatible with SysML. "

Download the guide here: https://jazz.net/library-content/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ibm_rational_harmony_deskbook_rel_4.1.pdf

"This methodology is developed by INCOSE (INCOSE, 2010). It combines object-oriented techniques, a model-based design approach, and top-down waterfall-style system engineering practices. Analyze needs, define system requirements, define logical architecture, synthesize allocated architectures, optimize and evaluate alternatives, and verify & validate systems are the main activities of OOSEM. When designing a system-of-systems, these activities are performed for each system individually. OOSEM was integrated with ISO-15288 standard, which is dedicated to harmonize the processes used by any organization or project throughout the full lifecycle of a man-made system (Pearce and Hause, 2008). The integration allows identifying the sequence of the processes needed to deliver the essential products of the development. System Engineering processes are organized into five groups: agreement, enterprise, project, technical, and special."

"Source requirements, behavior, architecture, and verification and validation – these are the main domains of this methodology (Vitech). It uses MBSE System Definition Language (SDL) to manage the syntax (structure) and semantics (meaning) of model artefacts, which can be specified either in the form of schema or ontology. Vitech methodology also uses iterations, so called, levels. These levels help to detail system specification, but they don't solve the problem of information abstraction management (Estefan, 2008)."

"This methodology was created by the California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It is based on a state control architecture, where state is defined to be “a representation of the momentary condition of an evolving system,” and models describe how state evolves (Ingham et al., 2006). SA methodology provides activities for state modeling (modeling behavior according to state variables and relationships between them); state-based software design (methods to achieve objectives); goal-directed operations engineering (preparing detailed scenarios for mission objectives). Together, state and models supply what is needed to operate a system, predict future state, control towards a desired state, and assess performance (Estefan, 2008)."

"It is dedicated to model systems by using SysML as modeling language. These are the main phases of SYSMOD: project’s context description; requirement’s collection; system’s context modeling; system’s use case and process modeling; system’s structure and state modeling; collect domain knowledge. Starting with the description of the project context, requirements of the system are captured and modeled. Use case specification allows clarifying requests and working scenarios. Processes of the system are created simultaneously. Finally, the internal structure of the system is created, parameters are defined, and behavior is modeled."

Source: MBSE Grid: A Simplified SysML-Based Approach for Modeling Complex Systems 

A methodology built from MBSE Grid (MBSE Grid link above).  For the .pdf of MagicGrid v2 go here: https://discover.3ds.com/sites/default/files/2021-12/magicgrid-book-of-knowledge-ebook.pdf. For a walkthrough of the methodology by the person that wrote it, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpi-KlnJVDk&t=28s