Model-Based System Architecture, 2nd Edition

Appendix BThe V‐Model

Today, the systems engineering vee is omnipresent in almost every systems development environment. It has an iconic status. The V‐Model, as the systems engineering vee is also called, emphasizes a rather natural problem‐solving approach. Starting on coarse grain level partitioning the problem to manageable chunks. From the fine grain level, the final solution integrates up to the initial level. On each level, one can compare solutions or part‐solutions with problems or part‐problems being solved. The simplicity of the V‐Model (see Figure B.1) permits various projections and results in many interpretations.

This chapter provides an overview to the history of the V‐Model, its intention, and considers frequent misconceptions. The chapter concludes with reading instruction of a modern V‐Model.

B.1 A Brief History of the V‐Model or the Systems Engineering Vee

The V‐Model emerged probably in the 1960s, though there seem to be no public citations available. The citations hereinafter suggest that the V‐Model independently emerged from more than one source. Designations of the model vary depending on the sources. Hereinafter, we cite designations as used in the referenced documents.

In 1979, Barry W. Boehm published a paper [30] that was built up on the vee. He used the vee in the context of software engineering to emphasize the importance of verification and validation. Boehm made a distinction between an upper part of the vee for validation and a lower part ...