Publication

Digital transformation is fundamentally changing the way acquisition and engineering are performed across a wide range of government agencies, industries, and academia. Digital transformation is characterized by the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, changing fundamental operations and how results are delivered in terms of new value to customers, and it includes cultural change centered on alignment across leadership, strategy, customers, operators, developers, and designers.

In the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), evidence across the Services and industry has affirmed digital transformation is critical for successful acquisition in an environment of increasing global challenges, dynamic threats, rapidly evolving technologies, and increasing life expectancy of systems currently in operation (Zimmerman et al., 2019). The DoD must continue to practice systems engineering efficiently and effectively to provide the best advantage for successful acquisitions and sustainment. Digital transformation will require the update of both acquisition and systems engineering practices to take full advantage of the digital power of computation, visualization, and communication throughout the lifecycle.

Several research approaches were taken for the development of this work. A descriptive study approach was taken to identify characteristics of the need through description. Often, digital engineering and cyber resilience have not been able to be described in full detail owing to their vast scopes. However, careful selection of recurrent drivers must occur, and can be gathered and an understanding of what can be accomplished on a given timeline can occur. An explanatory approach was taken to better understand the cause-effect relationship of digital engineering to its practitioners. A methodological and historical approach was also used. It can also be stated that the effort took a remedial approach by formulating plans garnered from information to correct and improve digital engineering education through implementation methods.