Agile Systems Engineering with SysML v2 and AI
- 2nd Edition - October 1, 2026
- Latest edition
- Author: Bruce Powel Douglass
- Language: English
Agile Systems Engineering, Second Edition presents a vision of systems engineering where precise specification of requirements, structure, and behavior meet larger concerns such a… Read more
Agile Systems Engineering, Second Edition presents a vision of systems engineering where precise specification of requirements, structure, and behavior meet larger concerns such as safety, security, reliability, and performance in an agile engineering context. World-renowned author and speaker Dr. Bruce Powel Douglass incorporates agile methods and model-based systems engineering (MBSE) to define the properties of entire systems while avoiding errors that can occur when using traditional textual specifications. Dr. Douglass covers the lifecycle of systems development, including requirements, analysis, design, and the handoff to specific engineering disciplines.
In addition to agile SE, the workflows and practices of Model-Driven Dev Sec Ops (MDDSO) is introduced and discussed. In this updated edition, all examples and discussion use SysML v2 and are rendered in the Cameo System Modeler tool. Throughout the book, Dr. Douglass couples agile methods with SysML and MBSE to arm system engineers with the conceptual and methodological tools they need to avoid specification defects and improve system quality while simultaneously reducing the effort and cost of systems engineering.
In addition to agile SE, the workflows and practices of Model-Driven Dev Sec Ops (MDDSO) is introduced and discussed. In this updated edition, all examples and discussion use SysML v2 and are rendered in the Cameo System Modeler tool. Throughout the book, Dr. Douglass couples agile methods with SysML and MBSE to arm system engineers with the conceptual and methodological tools they need to avoid specification defects and improve system quality while simultaneously reducing the effort and cost of systems engineering.
- Identifies how the concepts and techniques of agile methods can be effectively applied in systems engineering context
- Shows how to perform model-based functional analysis and tie these analyses back to system requirements and stakeholder needs, and forward to system architecture and interface definition
- Provides a means by which the quality and correctness of systems engineering data can be assured (before the entire system is built!)
- Explains agile system architectural specification and allocation of functionality to system components
- Details how to transition engineering specification data to downstream engineers with no loss of fidelity
- Includes detailed examples from across industries taken through their stages, including the "Waldo" industrial exoskeleton as a complex system
Software Engineers and Computer Science researchers, as well as System Engineers, particularly those in aerospace, defense, automotive, transportation, and rail.
1. What is Systems Engineering?
1.1 Overview
1.2 Primary roles
1.3 Primary responsibilities
1.4 Key work products
1.5 Systems Engineering Lifecycles
1.5.1 Waterfall
1.5.2 V-Cycle
1.5.3 Model-Based Systems Engineering
1.5.3.1 The Modeling Advantage
1.5.3.2 High-Precision Modeling with SysML and UML
1.5.3.2.1 Properties of good models (scope, intent, purpose, stakeholder, usage, precision, fidelity)
1.5.3.3 Modeling is essential for Agile Systems Engineering
1.5.3.4 Migrating from traditional SE to MBSE
1.5.3.5 The Rules
2. What are Agile Methods and Why Should I Care?
2.1 Applying the Agile Manifesto to Systems Engineering
2.2 Agile Best Practices for Systems Engineering
2.2.1 Incremental development of work products
2.2.2 Continual verification of work products
2.2.3 Executable requirements models
2.2.4 Model-based specification
2.2.5 Continuous dependability assessment
2.2.6 Active project risk management
2.2.7 Model-based hand off to downstream engineering
2.2.8 Dynamic Planning
2.3 Dev Sec Ops
2.3.1 What is Dev Sec Ops and how does it differ from Agile
2.3.2 How do I apply modeling in Dev Sec Ops?
2.3.3 Detailed Dev Sec Ops workflows
3. Brief Introduction to SysML v2
3.1 Principles of good modeling
3.2 Differences between SysML v1 and SysML v2
3.2.1 Requirements and capabilities
3.2.2 Structural Modeling
3.2.3 Computations and analyses
3.2.4 Verification cases
3.3 Key SysML v2 views
3.3.1 Textual Notation
3.3.2 General View
3.3.3 Interconnection View
3.3.4 Action Flow View
3.3.5 State Transition View
3.3.6 Sequence View
3.3.7 Geometry View
3.3.8 Grid View
3.3.9 Browser View
3.4 Minimal SysML Profile – 80% of the capability with 20% of the complexity
3.5 Organizing your models for systems engineering
4. Agile Stakeholder Requirements Engineering
4.1 Making requirements engineering agile - overview
4.2 Identification of stakeholder needs
4.3 Dependability analysis
4.3.1 Hazard analysis
4.3.2 Fault Tree Analysis
4.3.3 FMEA and FMECA
4.3.4 Model-Based Security Analysis
4.4 Performance analysis & non-functional requirements
4.5 Mapping requirements to Use Cases and User stories
4.6 Creating the system requirements
4.6.1 Functional requirements are verbs
4.6.2 Non-functional requirements are adverbs
4.7 The importance of traceability
4.8 When to stop
5. System Requirements Specification & Functional Analysis
5.1 Making functional analysis agile - overview
5.2 Why are my requirements so inadequate?
5.3 Functional Analysis – finding the missing requirements
5.4 Scenario Analysis
5.5 Control Flow Analysis
5.6 Data Flow Analysis
5.7 Ensuring good requirements with executable requirements
5.8 Updating the dependability requirements
5.9 Requirements consistency analysis
5.10 When to stop
6. Architectural Tradeoff Analysis
6.1 Make trade studies agile - overview
6.2 What is the Systems architecture?
6.3 Architectural evaluation and tradeoffs
7. Architectural Design
7.1 Making architectural design agile - overview
7.2 Creating the systems architecture
7.3 Allocation of requirements
7.3.1 In the small – operational contracts
7.3.2 In the large – use case decomposition
7.3.3 Performance allocation
7.4 Updating the dependability analysis
7.5 Verifying your architectural model through simulation/execution
7.6 When to stop
8. Handoff to Downstream Engineering and Test
8.1 Handing off to Downstream engineering in an agile way
8.1.1 1-shot Hand off
8.1.2 Incremental Hand off
8.2 Allocation to engineering disciplines
8.3 Specifying cross-discipline interfaces
8.4 Transforming logical interfaces to physical reality
8.5 Allocation to Verification and Validation Testing
8.6 Moving on to Development Engineering
9. Summary and Overview
9.1 Overview of the Agile Lifecycle
9.2 Overview of the MDDSO Lifecycle
9.3 Table mapping practices, tasks, and work products
9.4 FAQs
1.1 Overview
1.2 Primary roles
1.3 Primary responsibilities
1.4 Key work products
1.5 Systems Engineering Lifecycles
1.5.1 Waterfall
1.5.2 V-Cycle
1.5.3 Model-Based Systems Engineering
1.5.3.1 The Modeling Advantage
1.5.3.2 High-Precision Modeling with SysML and UML
1.5.3.2.1 Properties of good models (scope, intent, purpose, stakeholder, usage, precision, fidelity)
1.5.3.3 Modeling is essential for Agile Systems Engineering
1.5.3.4 Migrating from traditional SE to MBSE
1.5.3.5 The Rules
2. What are Agile Methods and Why Should I Care?
2.1 Applying the Agile Manifesto to Systems Engineering
2.2 Agile Best Practices for Systems Engineering
2.2.1 Incremental development of work products
2.2.2 Continual verification of work products
2.2.3 Executable requirements models
2.2.4 Model-based specification
2.2.5 Continuous dependability assessment
2.2.6 Active project risk management
2.2.7 Model-based hand off to downstream engineering
2.2.8 Dynamic Planning
2.3 Dev Sec Ops
2.3.1 What is Dev Sec Ops and how does it differ from Agile
2.3.2 How do I apply modeling in Dev Sec Ops?
2.3.3 Detailed Dev Sec Ops workflows
3. Brief Introduction to SysML v2
3.1 Principles of good modeling
3.2 Differences between SysML v1 and SysML v2
3.2.1 Requirements and capabilities
3.2.2 Structural Modeling
3.2.3 Computations and analyses
3.2.4 Verification cases
3.3 Key SysML v2 views
3.3.1 Textual Notation
3.3.2 General View
3.3.3 Interconnection View
3.3.4 Action Flow View
3.3.5 State Transition View
3.3.6 Sequence View
3.3.7 Geometry View
3.3.8 Grid View
3.3.9 Browser View
3.4 Minimal SysML Profile – 80% of the capability with 20% of the complexity
3.5 Organizing your models for systems engineering
4. Agile Stakeholder Requirements Engineering
4.1 Making requirements engineering agile - overview
4.2 Identification of stakeholder needs
4.3 Dependability analysis
4.3.1 Hazard analysis
4.3.2 Fault Tree Analysis
4.3.3 FMEA and FMECA
4.3.4 Model-Based Security Analysis
4.4 Performance analysis & non-functional requirements
4.5 Mapping requirements to Use Cases and User stories
4.6 Creating the system requirements
4.6.1 Functional requirements are verbs
4.6.2 Non-functional requirements are adverbs
4.7 The importance of traceability
4.8 When to stop
5. System Requirements Specification & Functional Analysis
5.1 Making functional analysis agile - overview
5.2 Why are my requirements so inadequate?
5.3 Functional Analysis – finding the missing requirements
5.4 Scenario Analysis
5.5 Control Flow Analysis
5.6 Data Flow Analysis
5.7 Ensuring good requirements with executable requirements
5.8 Updating the dependability requirements
5.9 Requirements consistency analysis
5.10 When to stop
6. Architectural Tradeoff Analysis
6.1 Make trade studies agile - overview
6.2 What is the Systems architecture?
6.3 Architectural evaluation and tradeoffs
7. Architectural Design
7.1 Making architectural design agile - overview
7.2 Creating the systems architecture
7.3 Allocation of requirements
7.3.1 In the small – operational contracts
7.3.2 In the large – use case decomposition
7.3.3 Performance allocation
7.4 Updating the dependability analysis
7.5 Verifying your architectural model through simulation/execution
7.6 When to stop
8. Handoff to Downstream Engineering and Test
8.1 Handing off to Downstream engineering in an agile way
8.1.1 1-shot Hand off
8.1.2 Incremental Hand off
8.2 Allocation to engineering disciplines
8.3 Specifying cross-discipline interfaces
8.4 Transforming logical interfaces to physical reality
8.5 Allocation to Verification and Validation Testing
8.6 Moving on to Development Engineering
9. Summary and Overview
9.1 Overview of the Agile Lifecycle
9.2 Overview of the MDDSO Lifecycle
9.3 Table mapping practices, tasks, and work products
9.4 FAQs
- Edition: 2
- Latest edition
- Published: October 1, 2026
- Language: English
BD
Bruce Powel Douglass
Embedded Software Methodologist. Triathlete. Systems engineer. Contributor to UML and SysML specifications. Writer. Black Belt. Neuroscientist. Classical guitarist. High school dropout. Bruce Powel Douglass, who has a doctorate in neurocybernetics from the USD Medical School, has over 35 years of experience developing safety-critical real-time applications in a variety of hard real-time environments. He is the author of over 5700 book pages from a number of technical books including Real-Time UML, Real-Time UML Workshop for Embedded Systems, Real-Time Design Patterns, Doing Hard Time, Real-Time Agility, and Design Patterns for Embedded Systems in C. He is the Chief Evangelist at IBM Rational, where he is a thought leader in the systems space and consulting with and mentors IBM customers all over the world.
Affiliations and expertise
Chief Evangelist, IBM Internet of Things, Fairfax, VA, USA