For complex and variant-rich products, it is very time-consuming to assess the effects of changes, especially when many domains and partners are involved in product development. In the joint project ImPaKT, a consortium of research institutes, software manufacturers and user companies led by the Heinz Nixdorf Institute at the University of Paderborn aims to simplify such impact analyses by means of a model-based and IT-supported solution approach. It combines the methods of model-based systems engineering (MBSE) with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.

A key project goal is to establish a reference architecture for end-to-end model-based systems engineering that links the partial models in the existing data silos from the development of mechanical, electrical engineering and software engineering system elements. It will then serve as the basis for the development and implementation of model-based and AI-supported methods for holistic impact analysis.

As part of the project, PROSTEP will extend its OpenPDM product family to include software modules for the cross-domain coordination of changes and validate the functionality of the solution together with industry partners.

In order to align the reference architecture with practical requirements, the project partners need information about the existing system and process landscapes in the companies. In particular, the question of which IT systems the companies use to support their change processes, perform MBSE and how they exchange data across company boundaries is of great interest for the project work. To this end, the project partners will conduct interviews with selected companies. The findings obtained in this way will be supplemented and backed up by the results of this survey.

We would be pleased if as many readers of the PROSTEP newsletter as possible would participate in this german survey. Your answers will provide interesting insights into the IT systems currently used in product development and the PLM capabilities used, over and above support for the ImPaKT project. If you give us your consent when filling out the online questionnaire, we will be happy to inform you about the evaluation of the results. If you have any queries, please contact Christian Gentili, christian.gentili@prostep.com.