Employing Model-based Conceptual Design to identify test range resources required to validate the delivered solution

Model-based Conceptual Design (MBCD) (MBCD Working Group, 2013) is the application of Model-Based Systems Engineering to the Concept Stage of the generic lifecycle defined by INCOSE (Systems Engineering Handbook Working Group, 2015) that defines the problem space, characterise the solution space, identifies stakeholders’ needs, explores feasible concepts and proposes viable solutions.

During an initial system concept development, systems engineers (SE) will look at different areas of the problem space in order to develop a solution that will satisfy the overall capabilities defined by the stakeholders. During this phase, the problem space is intentionally left large in order to consider a larger scope of the solution space and operational environment. Thus, the SE would like to consider as much of the space as possible to determine what is feasible and what is not, when progressing on to the next phase of system development.

This paper was prepared for the 30th Annual INCOSE International Symposium, 2020. It reports on an extension of Model Based Conceptual Design (MBCD) that visualises the potential feasible solution space in order to inform decision makers of feasible solutions and test range resources required to validate the delivered solution. An approach is offered, utilising Design of Experiments methods, to extend previous research on test and evaluation with MBCD as applied to an illustrative use case.

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Authors of this paper are:

• David Flanigan, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
• Kevin Robinson, Shoal Group Pty Ltd