Continuing SERC Talks Series on “Celebrating Systems Engineering Digitalization”
On September 6, the SERC Talks research webinar series invited Dr. Heidi Davidz, an engineering fellow in the Intelligent Systems Engineering team at ManTech International Corporation, as a speaker in the “Celebrating Systems Engineering Digitalization” series. Davidz explored how model governance can aid digital engineering execution. The abstract and video for this, as well as the complete inventory of SERC Talk videos, can be accessed via the SERC YouTube channel and the SERC Talks page.
According to Davidz, the transfer from document- to model-based formats helps enterprises reduce inefficiencies and chances for error. Digital engineering makes this transformation possible by digitally threading interconnected models across disciplines and contractual boundaries. Each model across increasingly complex digital ecosystems has its own processes, rules, stakeholders, data, and distribution.
Model governance can organize complicated ecosystems to gain potential efficiencies and reduce confusion, churn, and rework. The ManTech Elastic Model Governance Guide for the digital thread helps enterprises understand how all the important mechanisms for control “play together” to establish control for the full digital engineering ecosystem. Whereas model management makes sure models perform and do “the right things,” model governance oversees and ensures that model management is happening.
The ManTech Elastic Model Governance Guide includes: (1) model-based guidance with in-model work instructions; (2) integration of the overall Model Governance System, Digital Engineering Environment infrastructure, individual models, and composite models; (3) scoping of model purpose and resolution of solution debt; (4) automated validation for insight on compliance; and (5) customization for flexibility and tailoring.
Quality is ensured for decision making, and documentation and descriptions are provided of what actions can be taken, how these can be taken, by whom, and under what circumstances. The resulting transparency allows all those operating in the digital ecosystem to understand how assets are being controlled, which enhances trust in the artifacts that are generated.
Integrating model governance practices with additional mechanisms for flexibility, scalability, and automated validation provides robust control over the digital engineering ecosystem to enhance the value delivered to customers.
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