Architecture-Centric Model-Based Systems Engineering at Continental

Since the last decade, the automotive industry has undergone a significant transformation, moving from traditional document-based systems engineering to a more architecture-focused and model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach. This shift is driven by the rapidly increasing complexity and the difficulties in managing system descriptions using conventional document-based methods. The paper investigates how MBSE can support this transformation using an architecture framework developed at Continental. As a response, the authors propose an architecture-centric Systems Engineering approach based on viewpoints. The focus on architecture-centricity and using models enables a more efficient and effective way of analyzing, developing, and designing complex systems. The authors use an automotive example to demonstrate how this approach can be practically implemented within a development workflow. The article highlights the architecture-centric model-based systems engineering application through an in-house architecture framework used at Continental. © 2024 by Enrico Seidel. Permission granted to INCOSE to publish and use.