🤖 AI Summary
Conventional requirements engineering tools lack direct access to SysML architecture models, leading to redundant requirement definitions, semantic fragmentation, and broken traceability. Method: This paper proposes an executable, structured requirements metamodel that integrates INCOSE requirements writing practices with SysML modeling capabilities. Strictly aligned with ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148 and INCOSE guidelines, it leverages a SysML Profile extension, an MBSE integration framework, and a compliance rule engine to enable native interoperability between requirements and architecture models. Contribution/Results: The metamodel was deployed and validated on two real-world NASA JPL space systems. It significantly improves requirement semantic completeness and verifiability, enhances coverage of the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook checklist, and—critically—provides the first empirical evidence of rapid improvement in requirements expression quality. The evaluation also identifies key bottlenecks in current toolchains regarding automated support for such integrated practices.
📝 Abstract
Traditional requirements engineering tools do not readily access the SysML-defined system architecture model, often resulting in ad-hoc duplication of model elements that lacks the connectivity and expressive detail possible in a SysML-defined model. Further integration of requirements engineering activities with MBSE contributes to the Authoritative Source of Truth while facilitating deep access to system architecture model elements for V&V activities. We explore the application of MBSE to requirements engineering by extending the Model-Based Structured Requirement SysML Profile to comply with the INCOSE Guide to Writing Requirements while conforming to the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148 standard requirement statement patterns. Rules, Characteristics, and Attributes were defined in SysML according to the Guide to facilitate requirements definition, verification&validation. The resulting SysML Profile was applied in two system architecture models at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, allowing us to assess its applicability and value in real-world project environments. Initial results indicate that INCOSE-derived Model-Based Structured Requirements may rapidly improve requirement expression quality while complementing the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook checklist and guidance, but typical requirement management activities still have challenges related to automation and support in the system architecture modeling software.