Pro Bono Activities

We provide mission-critical consulting across the full lifecycle of complex defence and cyber-physical systems. Our services are tailored to align with NATO, DoDAF, and national military standards, ensuring compliance, interoperability, and operational superiority from concept to deployment.

Each phase of the lifecycle is supported by expert guidance in modelling, verification, and digital engineering to enhance traceability, reduce risk, and accelerate readiness.

Your advantages

1. Stakeholder Needs, Problem Space & Early Concept Development

The first phase focuses on engaging stakeholders to capture mission needs, operational constraints, and high-level capability expectations. We support the definition of the problem domain, system scope, and early feasibility boundaries through structured workshops, stakeholder mapping, and mission scenario analysis. We document use cases, pain points, and boundary conditions while laying the foundation for a traceable requirements hierarchy. These efforts ensure alignment with operational objectives and serve as a launch point for architectural and systems thinking. 

2. Concept Formulation & Enterprise Architecture

Once the problem space is understood, we define the conceptual and technological solution space. This includes identifying enabling technologies, use case candidates, and conceptual frameworks that support military doctrine and CONOPS. We leverage frameworks such as DoDAF 2.02, NAFv4, and UAF to develop layered enterprise architectures, capturing operational, systems, and technical views. This ensures that the future system is interoperable by design, compliant with NATO C3 taxonomy, and aligned with national defence strategies. 

3. Functional Architecture & Analytical Prototyping

We then support the derivation of functional requirements and the development of logical solution architectures. Through MBSE practices and tools like SPARX EA, we decompose the system into its functional components, define information and control flows, and validate early hypotheses through simulation and analytical prototyping. This phase verifies that the system logic satisfies stakeholder intent and mission-critical performance thresholds under simulated operational conditions. 

4. Physical Architecting & System Requirements

In this phase, logical functions are mapped to physical subsystems, and detailed system requirements are developed. We provide structured requirements engineering aligned with ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148. We model interfaces, assess constraints (e.g., power, weight, size, timing), and ensure verification criteria are embedded in each requirement. Trade studies are conducted to optimise the architecture across capability, cost, and risk dimensions. This phase culminates in a mature, traceable, and testable system specification. 

5. Test Strategy, Verification & Validation Planning 

The validated system architecture is transitioned into a fully designed and allocated system design. We facilitate detailed subsystem definition, integration planning, and create baseline reviews. This includes algorithm design, physical decomposition, and support for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) prototyping. We ensure that the system is integration-ready, risk-managed, and aligned with safety, interoperability, and performance mandates. 

6.  Systems Design & Subsystem Integration Planning 

We define a test strategy that encompasses the full verification and validation (V&V) lifecycle. This includes the development of test cases for functional, design, and system-level verification, aligned with standards such as MIL-STD-810, ARP4754A, and ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119. STPSE supports the definition of scenario-based tests, edge case simulations, and performance envelope validation. All test artifacts are model-based, traceable, and fully aligned with the requirements framework. 

7.  Deployment, Certification & Mission Readiness 

With test evidence in place, the system is prepared for final deployment and certification. We assist in navigating certification requirements, whether for military accreditation, airworthiness, or NATO interoperability. We coordinate safety case development, cybersecurity validation (e.g., NIST 800-160, Zero Trust Architecture), and final operational assessments. Documentation and traceability are tightly managed to ensure full lifecycle evidence is available for auditors, customers, and certification authorities. 

8. Technical File, Compliance & Sustainment Readiness 

Finally, we provide structured support for generating the full Technical Data Package (TDP), ensuring compliance with defence documentation standards such as DEF STAN 00-55/56, MIL-HDBK-516C, and STANAG 4107. We compile safety cases, software and firmware documentation, configuration baselines, operational manuals, and post-deployment compliance artefacts. This ensures systems are not only ready for delivery but also prepared for long-term sustainment, updates, and secure lifecycle management. 

Our Expertise

We specialise in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) for complex, mission- and safety-critical systems across the defence and aerospace sectors. Our core strengths lie in system architecture, requirements engineering, and model-driven verification, ensuring compliance with international standards such as ISO 15288, DoDAF, NAFv4, MIL-STD-882E, and NATO STANAGs. We integrate logical and physical design using tools like SPARX EA and support full lifecycle development, from stakeholder needs through to certification and sustainment. With deep expertise in safety engineering (FHA, FMRA, FTA), digital systems, and secure-by-design architectures, we ensure systems are robust, interoperable, and future-ready. Our approach is strategic, standards-driven, and focused on delivering operational advantage through precision systems engineering. 

Our MBSE education equips professionals with the mindset and methodology to master complexity. Moving beyond traditional, domain-specific development, MBSE enables a holistic, function-driven approach to system design. It fosters collaboration across software, electronics, mechanics, and human factors, ensuring each component serves a mission-critical role within a cohesive system. Participants will gain hands-on insight into the lifecycle of intelligent systems, understanding how to architect, model, and manage multi-domain solutions that are powerful, practical, and ready for market deployment. This programme is tailored for engineers, managers, and innovators who aim to lead in a world where systems thinking is no longer optional, but essential.

Your Advantages

1. Systems Theory, the Foundations of Systems Thinking 

Gain a robust understanding of what defines a system and how complex interactions shape functionality and behaviour. This module introduces systems thinking as a critical mindset for tackling real-world complexity and guides participants through structured problem-solving approaches essential for modern engineering challenges.

2. Structuring Complexity with the Systems Engineering Approach

Explore the core principles of Systems Engineering as a discipline. This block introduces the key elements that underpin successful system development, including the systems architecture approach and the full engineering lifecycle. Participants will learn how to structure, analyse, and control complexity from concept through to decommissioning.

3. Create a product digital twin with the Model-Based Approach 

Dive into the digital backbone of modern system development. This module introduces model-based methods for capturing, analysing, and managing system complexity. Students will learn to model projects effectively and evaluate model performance, preparing them to implement MBSE in real-world, cross-domain development environments.

Our Expertise

We bring deep, real-world expertise in applying MBSE to defence and high-assurance domains, making our education programme uniquely practical and industry-relevant. With a strong foundation in systems theory, architecture frameworks, and lifecycle modelling, we equip participants with the mindset and tools to engineer complex systems that are robust, traceable, and certifiable. Our experience spans software, hardware, electronics, and human factors systems modeling, ensuring learners understand not just how to model, but how to design systems that perform under operational constraints. We emphasise model-driven thinking using industry-standard tools like SPARX EA, guiding students through the creation of digital twins and system architectures aligned to ISO 15288, DoDAF, and ARP4754A. This makes our programme ideal for engineers and leaders aiming to move from siloed development to cohesive, mission-ready solutions. 

Ensuring agility and alignment between teams is critical for innovation and compliance with stringent regulatory requirements. Team Topologies, a proven framework for optimizing team dynamics, can help your organization improve collaboration, accelerate delivery, and ensure safety and quality in  defence system development. We specialize in tailoring Team Topologies to meet the unique needs of the defence industry, enabling seamless integration of cross-functional expertise and compliance-driven workflows.

Your Advantages

1. Discovery and Assessment

The process begins with a comprehensive discovery and assessment phase. We work closely with your stakeholders to understand your organization’s current team structures, workflows, and challenges. By mapping existing interactions and dependencies, we uncover areas where alignment and efficiency can be improved, all while ensuring adherence to regulatory standards such as DoDAF and ISO 15288. The outcome is a diagnostic report that highlights key areas for enhancement.

 
2. Team Tolpologies Design

Following the assessment, we move to the design phase, creating a tailored Team Typologies Blueprint. This involves categorizing your teams into core, enabling, platform, and stream-aligned types, ensuring that each team’s responsibilities align with business and regulatory requirements. We identify areas where decoupling can reduce cognitive load and develop a compliance-first interaction model that supports seamless operations.

3. Interaction Models and Communication Paths

The third step focuses on defining interaction models and communication paths. Effective collaboration between teams is essential, and we design service-oriented interaction contracts to enhance autonomy while maintaining clear communication channels. Escalation mechanisms and compliance touchpoints are addressed to ensure the new structure supports your organization’s regulatory obligations. Detailed interaction guidelines and communication protocols are delivered to guide this process.

4. Implementation and Training

In the implementation and training phase, we help transition your organization to the new team structure. This includes conducting workshops and training sessions to ensure that personnel are equipped to thrive in their roles. We implement tools to manage team interactions and workflows effectively, monitoring progress and addressing challenges as they arise. By the end of this phase, your teams will be fully operational within the new framework.

5. Continuous Optimization

Finally, we provide continuous optimization to ensure sustained performance and adaptability. We regularly review team structures and workflows, with team feedback guiding ongoing improvements. This adaptive approach allows your organization to respond effectively to evolving business and regulatory demands. An optimization framework with key metrics is provided to track success over time.

Our Expertise

Our approach to implementing Team Topologies is highly customized and designed to address organizations' unique challenges. We provide tailored solutions that enhance team collaboration, streamline processes, and ensure regulatory compliance. With ongoing post-implementation support, we help your organization adapt to industry and organizational changes, ensuring long-term success.