One Model, Many Interests, Many Views

In this MBSE whitepaper, Zane Scott and David Long of Vitech, now a Zuken company, lay out the many ways model-based systems engineering is capable of representing information contained in a model, or repository. Each diagram communicates a specific dimension of information, providing insight and best connecting with a particular audience.

The language that we use to depict the solutions under design consists of a set of views. These may be graphical or word-based, but in any case, they represent a subset of information from or about the model arranged for presentation according to a set of rules prescribed for constructing that view. Views are (or should be) constructed by querying the model for the needed information and then assembling the information into an agreed-upon format.

This MBSE paper discusses that language and its building blocks. We will examine various systems engineering views in some detail, paying particular attention to the information they convey, the format they use to convey it, and the intended audience they are designed to reach. The intent is not to provide an exhaustive treatise on the detailed notation (a purpose better served by guides, textbooks, and formal specifications), but instead an overview of many views, the information that underpins them, their interrelationships, and their effective use.

Also see:

• Model-Based Systems Engineering with GENESYS
• eBook: Introduction to Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)