Theoretical Underpinnings to Establish Fidelity Conditions for Defining Verification Models

theory of SE;verification;verification models;systems theory

Systems Engineering (SE), as a discipline, has not yet established the conditions for defining verification models beyond qualitative statements made at the onset of an engineering endeavor. Our research has evaluated the conditions using quantitative means, grounded in the richness of systems theory. Note, this is not a method paper. However, a systems theoretic approach with some novelty was selected to address the underlying research question. The question being: Based on what conditions should we define verification models? The current state of the discipline suggests that the conditions for verification models are defined based on qualitative statements of high-, medium-, and low-fidelity. This is an example of a SE heuristic. The existence of heuristics as a current basis for the discipline of SE is well known. However, many heuristics have not been quantitatively validated, which means there may be errors in judgement that are leading to systems being engineered that are ultimately not fit-for-purpose. Verification models are currently defined under heuristic assumptions that have not been substantiated. In this article, we provide insights from our research to discover the sufficient, science-based conditions for defining verification models.