Analysis of requirements with a software-intensive systems engineering approach: An aircraft example

Systems engineering plays an interdisciplinary role in managing the life cycles of complex systems. From its inception to the present day, systems engineering has continuously ensured interaction between elements through the methodologies it has developed. In the Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) phases encountered at the project's initiation stage, there is a need for the management approach and documented data sets of systems engineering. However, effective execution of these processes and the collection and analysis of accurate data sets face negative conditions in terms of cost and resource management at the project's very beginning. Particularly, the current situation, which requires experienced and trained human resources for the management of these phases, means allocating high resources to a project phase that has not yet yielded financial returns for the business. Additionally, traditionally managed processes are cumbersome and produce single-type or few alternative solutions rather than fast and multiple alternative solutions. On the other hand, developments in software technology are capable of responding to the Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) phases of systems engineering. Processes that require intensive man-hours can be managed by obtaining results instantly or in a very short time. In the study, a sample model was constructed through a training aircraft, and instant product technical specifications and performance data were generated as outputs. The sample model and method developed with Python software aim to develop an accessible, contemporary, and practical tool for use by systems engineers in the Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) phases.