Christoph Hinrichs

Clear MBSE strategy and thorough testing of the tools

Webasto did not want to leave anything to chance when entering MBSE. Therefore, a clearly structured modelling process was defined (MBSE Meta-Model), the language to be used was defined (SysML) and the appropriate tool was selected in a very elaborate back-to-back comparison. “We were not satisfied with our previous solution and in a very open and selective tool comparison, Enterprise Architect clearly convinced us with the best cost-benefit ratio,” Hinrichs describes. The continuous responsiveness of the LieberLieber team with regard to open questions also left a very positive impression: “Since we always want to have the latest tools in use, we quickly switched to Enterprise Architect 16. LieberLieber supported us very well in this and also updated LemonTree promptly so that we could continue to use the whole tool chain.” In the end, LieberLieber’s recommendations regarding the tool chain were adopted, but Git was replaced by IBM RTC.

Dr Konrad Wieland, Managing Director of LieberLieber, comments: “We are very pleased that Webasto has chosen the path towards MBSE together with us. Christoph Hinrichs is approaching this major task in a very clearly structured way and gave us interesting insights into his pioneering work at the MBSE Summit 2022. We are united by the common goal of communicating the benefits and advantages of MBSE in a comprehensible and practice-oriented way and thus successfully convincing people. In this way, we are creating a good and robust basis for the continued economic success of the outstanding family-owned company Webasto!”

Communicating the benefits of MBSE throughout the company

For Hinrichs, it is clear that the greatest benefit of MBSE only comes when the process has been rolled out throughout the company and is working. This is confirmed by scientific studies and practical experience alike. “As usual, we first launched pilot projects to show what is possible with MBSE and what benefits arise from it. The experience gained is then processed – as in the Business Unit Batteries Department – and shared with the business units. Now we have to scale these experiences and anchor them in the business sections. For this, however, we still have to do a lot of convincing with the support of LieberLieber,” explains Hinrichs.

The most important advantages of MBSE were defined as:

• Transparency – recognition of dependencies, Defined starting point for cooperation.
• Traceability
• Visualisation – common language and the appropriate tool for each case
• Reusability and automation – Multiple use of artefacts and models; Automated consistency check of models
• Quality – Higher product maturity through semi-automated validation; Fewer errors
• Processes – Standardised processes facilitate collaboration; Certifications more quickly attainable

“The faster we integrate these points in the company, the more benefits we can derive from MBSE,” Hinrichs knows. However, it is important not to take any hasty steps, but to first check exactly what the current situation is in a department. Based on this, MBSE can be introduced in a well-controlled process without losing the necessary participation of all those involved by overtaxing them.

MBSE maturity level of a department is assessed in advance

In order to make the introduction of MBSE in other departments as smooth as possible, Hinrichs is developing an ever more detailed maturity model. Currently, there are very few publications and contributions that attempt to support the introduction of MBSE in a systematic and structured way, such as the work of Andreas Vogelsang. “There are studies on the collection of MBSE maturity levels, but no one talks about what effort it takes to reach a level or what benefits can be achieved with a level. In the practical test, for example, we found that the levels have to be as small and solution-oriented as possible so as not to trigger excessive demands, otherwise we would lose interest in MBSE or even meet with resistance. If we want to change something in the processes, methods or tools, we need a team that sticks together and pursues a common goal,” Hinrichs explains.

Key user as communicator for MBSE

As a central point of contact, a “key user” should be found in each department who is available as a multiplier and communicator for MBSE. The fundamental basis for scaling MBSE is the tool setup adapted to the needs as well as the configuration management. Hinrichs supports and disseminates MBSE within the company through internal training. This should help generate enthusiasm for the MBSE initiative at Webasto, establish initial contact and build up a network. If detailed expert knowledge is then required, or if the key user team encounters challenges in the tool, LieberLieber is available for this at any time. “Currently, three pilot projects are running in parallel, one of which is also already at a next higher level in the maturity model. So we are working intensively on establishing and scaling MBSE in the company. There is still a lot of work ahead of us and it is reassuring to know that we can always call in the experts from LieberLieber to solve difficult questions together if necessary,” explains Hinrichs.

Dani Mannes

The architecture is a model expressed with UML/SysML

In Mannes’s experience, agile development teams often focus on sprint-based delivery of user stories and the related working code. Conventional teams, on the other hand, often start development with an intensive architecture and design phase. For him, this raises the question: do architecture and design belong to the past or can architecture modelling and agile work be combined?

According to Mannes, many of ACTL’s clients in the defense industry are used to waterfall-based processes. This is often driven by contractual constraints and the perceived need for systems engineers to mitigate risk and manage development at scale through a pre-designed system architecture. However, he says, the reality is that the architecture and blueprints often change when implementation begins, making the architecture and blueprint outdated. Because of these changes, documents such as the System Subsystem Specification (SSS), System Subsystem Design Document (SSDD), Software Requirements Specification (SRS) and the Software Design Document (SDD) have to be rewritten or updated several times to reflect the actual requirements and design. But how can this effort be avoided?

The answer is quite simply, according to Mannes: by seeing architecture as a model expressed with UML/SysML. For him, architecture is a simplified description of both the static and dynamic aspects of the system. It is used for communication in the team, for discussion and as a reference when extending the system. Mannes: “If you want to talk about architecture, what does architecture look like? Well, our answer is that the architecture is a model expressed using UML/SysML. The model also serves as the knowledge base from which the required documents can be generated. And with Lemon Tree the model can be version managed along with the contractually required documents.”

But the model is only a means of communication and not a goal or end in itself. Therefore, he says, the model does not have to describe the complete solution, but only the necessary aspects for:

• Discussion of the current large-scale structure and mechanisms
• Assessing the impact of current decisions
• Ensuring that the different parts of the system are clearly separated and their interfaces well defined, and that the parts together contribute to the current scope of system functionality

From methods and processes to MBSE

In its two training courses (UML and MBSE/SysML), ACTL primarily teaches methods and processes. Only if the use of tools is explicitly desired, the training is extended accordingly. “We want to slowly introduce interested parties to the topic of modelling and show them where modelling will bring them the most benefits. In this way, we create the basic prerequisites that can then be implemented with tools such as Enterprise Architect and LemonTree.”

In MBSE, ACTL currently has two major projects, one of which relies on Enterprise Architect and where LemonTree would also fit in well. “The international INCOSE association is very active in Israel on MBSE. But there is still not enough awareness among companies,” says Mannes, who still sees a lot of work ahead of him, which is now to be managed even better together with LieberLieber.

In 2021, the German agricultural engineering family group CLAAS generated sales of 4.8 billion euros with around 11,900 employees. Within the group, CLAAS E-Systems is responsible for the development of electrical and electronic systems for agricultural machinery. Enterprise Architect has been used there for many years as the standard editor for modelling SysML and UML models. Now, LemonTree has also been added to the engineering tool chain. For the realisation of future digitisation projects, powerful tools are thus available to apply the necessary development processes and methods in a targeted and efficient manner.

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Theodor Jäger

Making Systems Engineering easier

When Jäger joined CLAAS E-Systems about two and a half years ago, he brought with him more than 20 years of experience in the development of mechatronic systems. At an automotive supplier in Sauerland, he developed mechatronic systems in international projects in various roles and positions. As a coach for processes, methods and tools, he most recently supported project teams in modelling their systems in SysML. Jäger is particularly concerned with keeping systems engineering simple. In doing so, he heeds the advice of physicist and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman: “If you cannot explain something in simple terms, you don’t understand it.” Jäger translates this with regard to MBSE and explains: “People also need MBSE to be presented and communicated in a way that fits into today’s working environment: Simple, with catchy explanations, concise pictures, in small servings. Hardly anyone reads a ten-page text nowadays. Even if the benefit of an activity is not immediately clear, motivation decreases. Only if it is meaningful and simple, and in the best case also fun, will new methods and processes be accepted in the organisation and also be brought into everyday use beyond locational boundaries.”

Close cooperation with LieberLieber on modelling

The cooperation with LieberLieber is very good, for example because of the fast support offered, a common language and time zone. Last but not least, mutual appreciation and trust. For Jäger, the support behind the tools via support and consulting is essential: “There are always questions that can be better clarified together. That saves time and money, and there is more time for engineering to provide top-class services. LieberLieber also realises individual adaptations quickly. Furthermore, the licence costs are moderate and the users get along very well with the tools.”

Dr Konrad Wieland, CEO of LieberLieber: “We already knew Theodor Jäger from projects in the automotive industry and are very pleased to now be able to support major digitisation projects at CLAAS together with him. Agricultural engineering is also facing major upheavals similar to those in the automotive industry. For example, new and stricter legal norms and standards, especially in the area of safety and security, are an issue in agricultural engineering. But they can be mastered very well with MBSE and our tools. In any case, we will continue to expand our service and support in order to be able to serve CLAAS in the best possible way.

Implementing legal regulations safely

The operator’s cab of an agricultural machine is where all the information comes together and is made available to the operator. All machine activities are initiated from the cab and many are safety-related. The development process for agricultural machinery must therefore comply with ISO 25119, the standard for functional safety in agricultural machinery. However, functional safety only exists if the software does exactly what it was built for. And that is guaranteed by ISO 21434, the standard of cybersecurity for road vehicles. “The modelling of the system architectures with Enterprise Architect and the use of LemonTree for model comparison and model versioning systematically support us in this and thus create an important working basis for meeting these standards,” concludes Jäger.

With the aim of modernising its business and IT landscape, NATO is relying on the recently introduced NAFv4 framework. The German Bundeswehr and the Swiss Army have chosen Enterprise Architect (Sparx Systems) as their standard modelling tool to use this framework with the UAF Metamodel. Recently, LieberLieber LemonTree has also been examined in studies on architectural tools with positive results.

While many companies are still hesitating to take the step into the digital age by building an Enterprise Architecture, NATO is already using the 4th version of the NATO Architecture Framework (NAFv4) for this purpose. The framework was designed in such a way that it can be extended by NATO member states and partners according to their own requirements. Germany and Switzerland, for example, take advantage of this possibility. They employ Enterprise Architect as the standard modelling tool for the use of the framework with the UAF meta model, as this tool is also widely used in other NATO states or NATO partners and in industry.

Christian Freihoff from the German Bundeswehr and Beat Lang from the Swiss Army are intensively involved in NAFv4 at NATO level and are responsible for national extensions: “The NAFv4 profile we developed for Enterprise Architect is available free of charge to all interested parties to promote the dissemination and compatibility of UAF-based NAFv4 architectures”.

International standards covered
NAFv4 is now fully compatible with international architecture standards from ISO/IEC/IEEE, The Open Group and OMG. Instead of a proprietary metamodel as in the previous version, it was decided to adapt the existing and widespread metamodels ArchiMate (The Open Group) and UAF (OMG). The NAFv4 MDG developed by Germany and Switzerland implements the UAF DMM of the OMG. The modelling guidelines for UAF have already been published and those for ArchiMate will be finalised shortly. In addition, the development of an exchange mechanism is also underway.

Scope of NAF was deliberately limited
Since the scope and expressiveness of the Unified Architecture Framework UAF defined by the OMG clearly exceeds the needs of NAF in its current form, the existing domain metamodel and the views that can be created with it were deliberately limited. The UAF contains more than 60 Viewpoints across ten rows and eleven columns, while NAFv4 uses only 47 views across five rows and nine columns. However, the connection between UAF and NAFv4 remains completely intact. This ensures that the UAF architecture views are used efficiently to ensure coherence and completeness while allowing traceability from key objectives to physical resources.

Practical example illustrates how NAFv4 works
To illustrate the processes in NAFv4, Beat Lang has chosen a civilian scenario. The assumption is that after a motorbike accident in Eastern Europe and initial medical treatment in a local hospital, a Swiss holidaymaker is flown back to his home country by the REGA (Swiss Air Rescue) ambulance jet. The selected views differ in logical and service-related specifications. A distinction is made between operational activities that are specific to the scenario and standard activities that are defined in advance. For example, a passer-by who happens to be present by chance can also be integrated into the scenario and take over activities voluntarily and spontaneously.

The NAFv4 MDG for SPARX EA in brief

• 47 Viewpoints in grid, 5 rows and 9 columns
• Original NAFv4 views selectable
• Included sample models for self-generation
• NAFv4-specific toolboxes and quicklinkers
• NAFv4-specific model elements in the language of the UAF

NAFv4 is available for download free of charge.

The NATO Architecture Framework is available for download free of charge as well.

It is with great regret that we announce the death of Jan van Oort, who recently died of heart failure in Peru. Jan was a coach at SparxSystems Central Europe for many years before co-founding the start-up KIVU in 2016. Of course, he also brought Enterprise Architect to the company, which became a central part of the development work for the software:

Jan was also involved in the start-up Krino and we also hoped to publish many more success stories with and about him. Dear Jan: Your ideas live on, they were the starting point for successful initiatives and projects.

Rest in peace, your team at the Peter Lieber Group of Companies

In the course of the restructuring of the Peter Lieber group of companies, LieberLieber Software also made some changes in order to be able to serve its customers even more effectively and efficiently. The management is now in the hands of Dr. Konrad Wieland, who has been familiar with the company in various functions for a long time.

The IT and software industry is known for its fast pace and the associated change of products, services and company structures. It is therefore not surprising that companies are also constantly changing their organization in order to adapt even better to the new market conditions. In the course of the restructuring of the Peter Lieber Group of Companies, LieberLieber Software therefore also made some changes in order to be able to serve its customers even more effectively and efficiently. Dr. Konrad Wieland, the new CEO of LieberLieber, comments:

The company’s previous management team has been entrusted with new tasks: Martin Muhr is now responsible for the finances of the entire group, while Daniel Siegl has been entrusted with business development and special support for the two target markets USA and Canada. He will also remain CEO of LieberLieber’s US subsidiary. CTO Roman Bretz has left the company.

Exploiting synergies within the Group

One of the main reasons that led to the decision in favour of a holding structure was the desire to make even better use of synergies within the Group. Peter Lieber, owner of the Peter Lieber Group of Companies:

Daniel Siegl
Business Developer of LieberLieber Software, CEO of the US subsidiary

LemonTree 2.5

For even easier handling, LemonTree 2.5 has been integrated directly into Enterprise Architect and supports basic Git functions. In addition, a specially developed ISO 26262 Certification Kit is available, which makes certification much easier for existing customers. The new Enterprise Architect Addin allows the functions of LemonTree Desktop to be used directly from Enterprise Architect. In addition, basic Git functions are provided to facilitate the handling of .eap(x) files in Git. Dr. Konrad Wieland, responsible for LemonTree at LieberLieber: “Our approach for Release 2.5 was to be able to work on a model under Git control from one tool. From our rich project experience, we know the desire of users to connect Enterprise Architect and Git more closely to make work easier and faster. Visit us at embedded world and let us show you the advantages of the new release for your daily work!“

The LemonTree Addin displays the list of inconsistencies of the loaded model. Additionally, a comparison of the currently loaded model with any other model, which is selectable via the file dialog with the LemonTree Desktop, is possible. With the new release, existing customers are also offered a specially developed ISO 26262 Certification Kit, which makes certification much easier for companies.

The new release LemonTree 2.5 is available immediately. Arrange a live demo at embedded world right now to get to know the solution and its area of application better. We will help your teams to compare and merge their models efficiently, so that projects can be completed faster.

Thank you for your interest in the globally successful Enterprise Architect modeling platform from Sparx Systems and the related products and services from LieberLieber Software.

Visit LieberLieber and SparxSystems Central Europe at the joint booth (Hall 4, Booth 141) at embedded world (February 26-28, 2019, Nuremberg).

We are here for you!

Discuss with us about the latest embedded system developments and look forward to our latest products/ technologies/services. Make an appointment today to meet us at embedded world:

Our PRODUcts

Resulting from decades of experience with Enterprise Architect, LemonTree and Embedded Engineer are two plug-and-play products that will make your job much easier, faster, and more streamlined.