Challenges of and Lessons Learned from Implementing an MBE FMECA in the DoD

Over the past three years, DoD and industry Reliability and Maintainability (R&M) Engineering practitioners collaborated to develop methods to transition the Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) process to a Model-Based Engineering (MBE) process. The intent is to take advantage of MBE methods to support the move from delivery of a static document to delivery of a model that allows the program office and other users to query FMECA data, resulting in faster engagement, decreased design cycle times, and increased design influence. The collaboration identified challenges and lessons learned for DoD and industry R&M Engineering practitioners to transition to MBE methods to improve the FMECA process. The transition of the FMECA to MBE methods is consistent with the DoD Digital Engineering Strategy. Digital engineering (DE) is an integrated digital approach using an authoritative source of truth (ASOT) consisting of system data and models as a continuum throughout the development and life of a system. DE updates traditional systems engineering practices to take advantage of computational technology, modeling, analytics, and data sciences. DE includes the use MBE methods in a consumable and computational environment that enables the integration of the R&M discipline with other engineering models. Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) is a sub-discipline of MBE. For this effort, we are focusing on MBE. DoD and industry tested the implementation of an MBE FMECA Systems Modeling Language (SysML) profile Data Item Description (DID) on a fictitious program called "Iron Horse," an autonomous ground vehicle to carry troop supplies. The team modeled the Iron Horse systems, subsystems, and Line Replaceable Units in SysML to test the use of the machine-readable SysML profile. The team entered failure modes and effects information into the profile with the objective to automatically generate standardized views based on the query. The team identified key challenges and lessons learned throughout the effort of identifying As-Is to To-Be methods and implementing the MBE FMECA SysML profile on the fictitious Iron Horse program. Various organizations successfully developed MBE FMECA processes; however, challenges remain such as the ability for an external organization to query the model and view the results, potential scalability issues based on how the SysML model is established, and the recognition that data elements must be standardized across disciplines and across the various types of FMEAs such as design, process, and supportability. A priority ongoing effort is the review and standardization of data element names and definitions across various disciplines and across FMECA methods and standards.