Transitioning towards SysML v2 as a variability modeling language

Systems engineers seek ways to reuse system models to accelerate the initial design development process on new complex projects. Despite its promise, one such solution-the deployment of model-based product line engineering (MBPLE)-presents challenges to practitioners. Not only is deployment costly, but an overwhelming number of variability modeling language options also lack interoperability. While research efforts work towards creating a universal variability modeling language and developing transformations between existing languages, this paper proposes incorporating variability modeling concepts into a system modeling language for a centralized management of product lines. In this work, we highlight SysML v2 as a promising language for variability modeling, arguing that it can orthogonally model systems and their variability. Further, we propose a novel metamodel that describes a SysML v2-based approach to modeling conceptual and asset variability spaces. We exemplify the deployment of this metamodel on a simple yet representative example found in a complex development environment. Since the SysML v2 specification is still in its early stages of standardization, this paper discusses how efforts in deploying MBPLE with existing approaches will translate to the new metamodel and includes considerations for transitioning from currently available commercial modeling tools to SysML v2. Ultimately, we hope the proposed metamodel will motivate SysML v2 tool vendors to support variability modeling by incorporating instantiation and constraint definition mechanisms and visualization capabilities in future tool releases.