The V-Model is the foundation of systems design—the graphical representation of the systems development lifecycle. To meet the challenge ever-increasing of product complexity the V-Model, powered by an open PLM platform, must be the anchor for communication and design work.
Here are five suggestions for mastering the V-Model:
1) Make sure to get your product requirements right from the very beginning. This is challenging with PLM systems that aren’t platform based. Requirements sit in disconnected systems that other disciplines can’t access. This means that requirements can’t be matched to the final design and that also means you can’t effectively test.
The answer? Using a PLM solution will ensure that your product requirements are available to all disciplines and across the lifecycle from the start.
2) Integrate Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and PLM so systems architects are able to share part analysis from MBSE tools. Another approach is to create a systems engineering framework to give teams a common systems engineering context. Both approaches provide the traceability and configuration control in downstream design that you need.
3) Ensure that various disciplines, such as software, electronic, mechanical, and services, are able to collaborate and share the same data. Your PLM system needs to be your data backbone—connecting the right information to the right person whenever it’s needed. This is also the only way to effectively manage engineering changes and variants across disciplines and systems.
4) Simulation can reduce the costs of prototyping, testing, and maintenance, thus is becoming increasingly important for advanced product design. Simulation analysts need real-time configuration and version data to do their job and mainstream disciplines need traceability of the simulation data to validate designs. By connecting simulation with mainstream design, with a platform, you can truly unlock the value of simulation.
5) Have a single source of product information—something only a platform-based PLM can provide. This is crucial since systems testing teams need to be sure they are using the correct version, variant, and effectively managing that test data. You can’t do that if you don’t have the right product version, variant, and BOM when you need them.
You can learn more about how Aras’open PLM Platform can help you master the V-Model and develop smart, connected products, visit: https://www.aras.com/capabilities/systems-engineering.
