1) The document discusses strategies for starting to implement model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and using the Capella modeling tool at Thales Avionics. It recommends strengthening fundamentals like vocabulary, demystifying MBSE and Capella, and promoting quick wins. 2) Examples of quick wins include using Capella to generate documentation from models and creating Python scripts to automatically extract content from models into tables. 3) The document emphasizes that every small step counts towards improving engineering practices through pragmatic adoption of MBSE and continuous improvement.

1. 1 THALES INTERNE
Capella Days
Stairway to heaven:
Climbing the very first steps
Stéphane Bonnet – Systems Design Authority – Thales Avionics
November 2022

2. 2 THALES INTERNE
Where does the staircase start?
Strategy for climbing the very first steps
Strengthen the basics
Demystify both MBSE and Capella
Promote quick wins
Adopt a pragmatic approach
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection(*)
(*) Mark Twain

3. OPEN
Thales Avionics

4. OPEN
Initial context
• Avionics domain is changing
rapidly and significantly
• Need to build lean, adjusted
solutions
• Strong development
assurance culture
• Strong expertise in tooling
development
• Sophisticated MBSE
implementation failed to
inspire

5. 5 THALES INTERNE
Where does the staircase start?
Strategy for climbing the very first steps
Strengthen the basics
Demystify both MBSE and Capella
Promote quick wins
Adopt a pragmatic approach
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection

6. OPEN
Focus on vocabulary
Function
Item
Operational/System/Technical
Capability
Operational/System/Technical
Scenario and Functional chain
Behavioral
Component
Hosting
component Interface
Functional
Exchange
Behavioral
Exchange
Physical link
Physical
Path
exemplifies
specify dependencies between
elaborates
provide resources to
connects
connects
is formed of
is formed of
supports
performs
implements
is involved in
State /
Mode
Transition
triggered by
exhibits
incorporates
entered by / exited by
breaks down in
breaks down in
breaks down in
realizes
represents
organizes
involves
is involved in
breaks down in
The concepts used to describe operational architecture and
system architecture are very close. For this reason, they are
superposed in this graphical overview of the ontology
SYSTEM
INCREMENT
SW EPIC for
articulation with
development
TEST PROCEDURE for
articulation with V&V
TEXTUAL
REQUIREMENT
further specifies / constraints
Scope of the ontology

7. OPEN
Function
Item
Operational/System/Technical
Capability
Operational/System/Technical
Scenario and Functional chain
Behavioral
Component
Hosting
component Interface
Functional
Exchange
Behavioral
Exchange
Physical link
Physical
Path
exemplifies
specify dependencies between
elaborates
provide resources to
connects
connects
is formed of
is formed of
supports
performs
implements
is involved in
State /
Mode
Transition
triggered by
exhibits
incorporates
entered by / exited by
breaks down in
breaks down in
breaks down in
realizes
represents
organizes
involves
is involved in
breaks down in
The concepts used to describe operational architecture and
system architecture are very close. For this reason, they are
superposed in this graphical overview of the ontology
SYSTEM
INCREMENT
SW EPIC for
articulation with
development
TEST PROCEDURE for
articulation with V&V
TEXTUAL
REQUIREMENT
further specifies / constraints
Scope of the ontology
Focus on vocabulary

8. OPEN
Function
Item
Operational/System/Technical
Capability
Operational/System/Technical
Scenario and Functional chain
Behavioral
Component
Hosting
component Interface
Functional
Exchange
Behavioral
Exchange
Physical link
Physical
Path
exemplifies
specify dependencies between
elaborates
provide resources to
connects
connects
is formed of
is formed of
supports
performs
implements
is involved in
State /
Mode
Transition
triggered by
exhibits
incorporates
entered by / exited by
breaks down in
breaks down in
breaks down in
realizes
represents
organizes
involves
is involved in
breaks down in
The concepts used to describe operational architecture and
system architecture are very close. For this reason, they are
superposed in this graphical overview of the ontology
SYSTEM
INCREMENT
SW EPIC for
articulation with
development
TEST PROCEDURE for
articulation with V&V
TEXTUAL
REQUIREMENT
is aligned with
is aligned with
is defined by a set of
further specifies / constraints
Scope of the ontology
Focus on vocabulary

9. OPEN
R&T
Acceptable
means of
compliance
Webinars
&
Mini-trainings
Vocabulary material:
glossary, examples
Raising
awareness
MBSE Handbooks for
Avionics GBU

10. 10 THALES INTERNE
Where does the staircase start?
Strategy for climbing the very first steps
Strengthen the basics
Demystify both MBSE and Capella
Promote quick wins
Adopt a pragmatic approach
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection

11. OPEN
Changing
the narrative

12. OPEN
Changing
the narrative

13. OPEN
Relate MBSE deployment to more global
engineering improvement actions
Framework for model-based engineering objectives

14. OPEN
Framing the exploitation of models

15. OPEN
Exploitation of models: Typical patterns

16. 16 THALES INTERNE
Where does the staircase start?
Strategy for climbing the very first steps
Strengthen the basics
Demystify both MBSE and Capella
Promote quick wins
Adopt a pragmatic approach
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection

17. OPEN
1. DDV – Dynamic
Diagram Viewer
2. Requirements
3. Documentation
generation
4. PVMT – Annotating
models
5. Queries -
Extracting data
6. Articulation with
software

18. OPEN
1. DDV – Dynamic
Diagram Viewer
2. Requirements
3. Documentation
generation
4. PVMT – Annotating
models
5. Queries -
Extracting data
6. Articulation with
software

19. OPEN
1. DDV – Dynamic
Diagram Viewer
2. Requirements
3. Documentation
generation
4. PVMT – Annotating
models
5. Queries -
Extracting data
6. Articulation with
software

20. OPEN
1. DDV – Dynamic
Diagram Viewer
2. Requirements
3. Documentation
generation
4. PVMT – Annotating
models
5. Queries -
Extracting data
6. Articulation with
software
Integration of “versioning” in doc generation

21. OPEN
1. DDV – Dynamic
Diagram Viewer
2. Requirements
3. Documentation
generation
4. PVMT – Annotating
models
5. Queries -
Extracting data
6. Articulation with
software

22. OPEN
1. DDV – Dynamic
Diagram Viewer
2. Requirements
3. Documentation
generation
4. PVMT – Annotating
models
5. Queries -
Extracting data
6. Articulation with
software

23. 23 THALES INTERNE
Where does the staircase start?
Strategy for climbing the very first steps
Strengthen the basics
Demystify both MBSE and Capella
Promote quick wins
Adopt a pragmatic approach
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection

24. OPEN
Official Thales workbench
Framework
Capella
PV
Traceability
Doc gen
tool
Doors
W
IVV tool
Add-ons
Add-ons
Add-ons
• Group official workbench offer
• Particularly interesting when connecting multiples
kinds of artefacts (requirements, models, tests) and
when product variability is applied to all artefacts
• Requires a lot of local support
• Version upgrades is complicated
+
+
3 options
• Wait for the new ultimate solution
• Keep on trying to force the
deployment of the standard
tooling
• Acknowledge the difficulty, and
imagine a workaround

25. OPEN
Official Thales workbench
Team 4 Capella & PV
Doors
Other
req
tools
W
Import
via
ReqIf
Git
MBSE Pack
Add-ons
Add-ons
Add-ons
Add-ons
Add-ons
Add-ons
• Same tools than Group workbench, but connected
differently. Supported by AVS DSI & workbench teams
• Very few tooling configuration, multi-user by default.
Intended to be a minimalist MBSE environment
• Easy to adopt recent versions of tools
• Freedom for each user to install add-ons locally
• Only suitable for approaches where models play a
central role. No built-in integration of IVV tool
Possible
interfacing
MBSE Pack
+
+
+
+
Framework
Capella
PV
Traceability
Doc gen
tool
Doors
W
IVV tool
Add-ons
Add-ons
Add-ons
• Group official workbench offer
• Particularly interesting when connecting multiples
kinds of artefacts (requirements, models, tests) and
when product variability is applied to all artefacts
• Requires a lot of local support
• Version upgrades complicated
+
+

26. OPEN
Project &
engineering
context
IT & local tool
support
MBSE &
Capella
capabilities
Who can make the whole thing happen?

27. OPEN
Example
Project practice: One manually
maintained LAB per capability.
No usage of functional chains.
Manually produce tables
reflecting the LAB content.
Recommended practice:
Create functional chains to
illustrate capabilities, make the
LAB unsynchronized and
contextual to all functional
chains. Write queries exploiting
functional chains to produce
tables.
Pragmatic updated practice:
LAB still maintained manually,
but Python script to extract
Capability content.
Manuel extraction and update
Watch Movie on Private Screen
Command VOD Session
Store Interrupted VOD Movie Status
Play Audio-Video Stream on Seat TV
Process VOD Movie Controls
Capture VOD Selections
Broadcast Audio Video Stream
Prepare Broadcasts
Store Digital Media
Passenger
Seat TV
Seat TV Audio Video Player
Seat TV Interactions Manager
Seat TV Core Interactions Manager
Seat TV Airline-Specific Interactions Manager
Aircraft Front Servers
Streaming Server
Media Server
C 3
Interfaces
[LAB][CTX] Start Playing VOD Movie FC
External Functions
Internal Functions
Actors
System/System Components

28. OPEN
Example
Project practice: One manually
maintained LAB per capability.
No usage of functional chains.
Manually produce tables
reflecting the LAB content.
Recommended practice:
Create functional chains to
illustrate capabilities, make the
LAB unsynchronized and
contextual to all functional
chains. Write queries exploiting
functional chains to produce
tables.
Pragmatic updated practice:
LAB still maintained manually,
but Python script to extract
Capability content.
Python 4 Capella
Watch Movie on Private Screen
Command VOD Session
Store Interrupted VOD Movie Status
Play Audio-Video Stream on Seat TV
Process VOD Movie Controls
Capture VOD Selections
Broadcast Audio Video Stream
Prepare Broadcasts
Store Digital Media
Passenger
Seat TV
Seat TV Audio Video Player
Seat TV Interactions Manager
Seat TV Core Interactions Manager
Seat TV Airline-Specific Interactions Manager
Aircraft Front Servers
Streaming Server
Media Server
C 3
Interfaces
[LAB][CTX] Start Playing VOD Movie FC
External Functions
Internal Functions
Actors
System/System Components
Automated
extraction
and update

29. 29 THALES INTERNE
Where does the staircase start?
Strategy for climbing the very first steps
Strengthen the basics
Demystify both MBSE and Capella
Promote quick wins
Adopt a pragmatic approach
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection

30. OPEN
Every single step counts
10+ Visio diagrams for modes, busses, etc.
Ad-hoc model, 2 add-ons, 2 days
Generated design document
Capability-based approach, functional
chains, part of engineering workflows
MBSE quick
win in a
critical
moment of
project 1
MBSE as
support of
more efficient
engineering
practices on
project 2

31. OPEN
Every single step counts
We are
here
We were
there
We are hoping to
be up there soon
Questions?
stephane.bonnet@thalesgroup.com