RV&V-IF, Requirements, Verification and Validation Interoperability Forum

Introduction

RV&V Interoperability Forum was initiated by AFIS (French Chapter of INCOSE) and AFNeT end of 2019, with the objective to provide industry with first (partial) solutions for sharing, exchanging and archiving MBSE data.

RV&V data is a subset of the MBSE data, covering the modelling of needs and requirements and the modelling of their verification and validation data.

From a process viewpoint, the RV&V data need to be:

1. Cascaded in the system/sub-system structure, meaning needs for exchanging, synchronizing and configuration control of RV&V data between client/customer, system manufacturer and sub-system manufacturers.
2. Communicated and shared with other engineering disciplines: a system requirement (in MBSE domain) is typically derived in design specification (Detailed design domain) and in manufacturing specification (Manufacturing domain) and support specification (Support domain). Conversely MBSE V&V interface with design justification and manufacturing/support control.

The RV&V use cases intend to cover this variety of processes.

Organisation

The RV&V Interoperability Forum is organised in two groups:

• The User Group, composed of end-users, that defines the industry priorities in terms of RV&V interoperability use cases they target to deploy, and representative test cases.
• The Implementer Group, composed of MBSE and PLM tools/service providers, in charge of:
  • Analysing and challenging the use cases
  • Elaborating interoperability solutions based on standards
  • Validating these solutions through RV&V interoperability test rounds
  • Documenting these solutions in RV&V interoperability recommended practices

   

  
  Generic Interoperability Forum organisation

The User Group was initiated end of 2019, the Implementer Group is planned to be launched before end of 2020.

Targeted exchange technology and data standard

Exchange technology range from file exchange (industry partners exchanging RV&V data files through the network) to webservices (machine-to-machine interaction over the network embedding RV&V data). Idea is to propose interoperability solutions that can adapt to various exchange technologies.

Regarding data standards, the only standard currently identified to convey RV&V data is STEP (ISO 10303). The STEP community recently developed a STEP Core Model (ISO STEP Core Model Technical Report, 2020) that includes data interoperability features (called “Core Technical Capabilities” – CTC), including a “requirement and V&V” CTC.

Benefit for implementers is that the same data model (and derived XML schema) is used by several STEP Application Protocols covering the product life cycle (including AP242 “Managed model-based 3D engineering”, AP243 MoSSEC, AP239 “Product Life Cycle Support”, and potentially AP233 Systems engineering).

Note: ReqIF from OMG (OMG ReqIF) is another standard, also XML-based, that covers the exchange of Requirements only, so doesn’t cover the required scope (also considering the objective at the end is to extend from RV&V data to the whole MBSE data perimeter).

First use cases

Two use cases are currently described and are planned to be proposed to the implementer group.

The first use case depicts the exchange of RV&V data between a system manufacturer (OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer) and a sub-system supplier.

Use case 1: Exchange between OEM and sub-system supplier

Key aspects of Use case 1:

• OEM (resp. Sub-system supplier) model their system (resp. sub-system) in their own MBSE environment.
• Data that is exchanged is a sub-set of their resp. system models: links must be maintained with the objects that are in their resp. proprietary domains, along the several exchange iterations. Also, the Specification provided by the sub-system supplier must include the links with the OEM requirements.
• Objects in the proprietary domain may evolve between the time the request is sent to the Sus-system supplier and the time the answer is received, requiring a reconciliation of the data received with the proprietary data.
• The scenario includes the exchange of 1) Requirement data 2) Specification data 3) V&V data.
• Need to demonstrate exchange process capability to:
  • Functional coverage: ability to exchange (input/output) the various objects and links
  • Data import management (incl. data reconciliation).
  • Operational constraints: security, IPR, scalability

The second use case is focused on the synchronisation of system databases between system architect and sub-system suppliers. The figures here after provide an overview of the information considered. This use case includes also requirements in regard to security and IP protection.

Use case 2: typology of requirements and links

Use case 2: Landscape of V&V information

Participants

The User Group includes participants from Airbus, Airbus DS, Ariane Group, BoostAeroSpace, CEA, C-S Group, CIMPA, Dassault Aviation, Great Engineering, IRT Saint-Exupéry, IRT Systemx, Naval Group, Nexter Group, PFA/Galia, PSA Group, Renault, Safran, Schneider Electric, Thales.

Call for participation and collaboration

AFIS and AFNeT are pleased to welcome additional participants: to join this initiative contact Yves Baudier.
This project is open for collaboration with other associations over the world, with the objective to turn this initiative to an international project.

Some contributions

• PFA/Galia Promethea project (AFNeT Standards Days 2020 presentation): the RV&V-IF intends to build on this project by reusing a similar STEP data model and XML schema, linking requirements and testing. An expected benefit is to demonstrate digital continuity between requirements/V&V in system models and dimensional requirements/measures in the digital mock-up.
• CIMPA ReConnEct project (Click here for the presentation): this project has a lot of connections with RV&V-IF: scope including requirements and V&V, use of STEP XML technology as pivot format. Data analytics is also identified as a capability enabled by the future format.
• BoostAeroSpace AirDesign system requirement collaboration (click here for the presentation): the collaboration processes developed by RV&V-IF could be implemented and piloted on AirDesign platform.

AFIS and AFNeT contacts

Jean-Luc Garnier, AFIS and Yves Baudier, AFNeT.

Project link

Proposed AFIS-AFNeT Requirements and V&V Interoperability Forum, PDF presentation, 5 April 2019
AFIS-AFNeT shared workspace: https://plmtf.sharepoint.com/projects/AFIS-AFNeT/SitePages/Home.aspx (restricted)

Related projects

PDM-IF
MBSE interoperability
LOTAR

Other external links

ISO STEP Core Model Technical Report. (2020, May). Retrieved from http://www.ap239.org
OMG ReqIF. (n.d.). http://www.omg.org/reqif/
INCOSE Requirements Working Group https://www.incose.org/incose-member-resources/working-groups/process/requirements