Optimizing processes and information flow in the aerospace sector

“We are satisfied with the way 3DSE used its process development and process description to contribute to the basis for this important project.

Joachim Fuchs, Head of the Software Systems Division,
ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA) is an international agency that coordinates European space activities. With the Model-Based Requirements Verification Lifecycle (MARVL) project, ESA has been pursuing the goal of optimizing its processes and the related exchange of information with its suppliers (large system integrators – LSI) and the underlying levels of the supply chain.

Within the scope of MARVL, ESA received external support through 3DSE Management Consultants in order to define a suitable methodology for reducing complexity and ensuring consistency when exchanging data and information between the various parties. “Until now, various tools and a number of models and analysis reports have been used for this, which has led to a high degree of complexity in the data exchange process,” said Joachim Fuchs, Head of the Software Systems Division at ESA. “Together with 3DSE, we wanted to start here to achieve a significant improvement.”

For this purpose, 3DSE first depicted the higher-level processes that are currently being used and carried out a gap and potential analysis. Based on this, a target process was derived for the exchange of data and information on the assumption of a so-called common information platform (CIP). The CIP supports the networking of design and verification information and requirements as early as possible in the product lifecycle, in order thereby to ensure that the requirements, as well as the resulting product and related information, are easily accessible and navigable. The documentation of the target process was made using a commercially available process modeling tool.

“We are satisfied with the way 3DSE used its process development and process description to contribute to the basis for this important project,” Fuchs said. With the target process defined by 3DSE, the complexity of the data exchange has been reduced and a channeled data flow via the central exchange platform has been ensured. In this regard, the consistency of the data, models, and toolchains, as well as the overall, cross-functional definition of the data streams between ESA and its suppliers, can all be considered success factors.